one guinea each.’ Over the next few years seventy commissions followed, enabling the artist to move to more respectable apartments in Pilgrim Street. In addition to portraits, Parker produced ‘fancy pictures’ for broker's shops. David Mannings defines ‘fancy pictures’ as being ‘contemporary genre pictures of sentimental realism, in which the artist’s own whimsy played a substantial part'. Parker was a contemporary of David Wilkie (1785–1841), a particularly successful exponent of this type of droll depiction of everyday situations and someone whose work at times provided an inspiration. That Parker’s painting Dead Game was chosen for exhibition at Royal Academy in London in 1817 added to his artistic standing. Characters of Newcastle ‘Being a young man of good address and prepossessing appearance and developing a vigorous and taking style of painting figure subjects, Mr. Parker received from the people of Tyneside flattering encouragement and support.' Eccentric Characters of Newcastle (aka Hell’s Kitchen), from about 1817, was one of Parker’s best-known early paintings. It shows fourteen ‘eccentrics’ – locally known characters, mainly paupers from the streets of the Quayside area of Newcastle – assembled in the Flying Horse drinking house. The painting was bought for 20 guineas by Charles John Brandling (1769–1826), an influential landowner and coal magnate. Newcastle had a reputation for the artistic merit of its book illustration and printing industries, and Parker became acquainted with two exponents: Thomas Bewick (1753–1828) and Thomas Miles Richardson(1784–1848). An engraving by G. Armstrong of Eccentric Characters of Newcastle 'became exceedingly popular'. When Brandling became MP for Northumberland, in 1820, he commission a portrait by Parker that was engraved. Reproductive engraving had a double value in that it brought artwork within the means of the emerging middle classes and it widened the artist's reputation. Brandling commissioned further work over the next few years, and most importantly the relationship gave Parker an entrée into Tyneside society. Making a Mark On 19 July 1821 Newcastle's town council – led by the mayor, George Forster – organised a celebration of the coronation of George IV that culminated in the supply of free wine for the populace distributed from a fountain. Parker's large commemorative painting The Sandhill at the Celebration of the Coronation of George IV captured the excitement and mayhem of the event, with local dignitaries being identifiable. In the following February the painting was selected for exhibition at the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts