92-year-old Malaysian man seeks portrait sketched of him in Bridgnorth 66 years ago
The family of a Malaysian man who visited Bridgnorth more than 65 years ago are appealing for help to find a portrait of their 92-year-old grandfather that was sketched in the town back in the 1950s.
Kok Hong See-Tho, also known as Seto, visited Bridgnorth in 1959, while studying engineering at Imperial College in London in his 20s.
He was there in 1959 for several months around October and stayed in a house in Victoria Road in the town.
Now his granddaughter Jacqueline See-Tho, from California, is trying to track down the picture.
She said: “I recently studied abroad in London. My grandpa from Malaysia similarly did so in the 1950s at Imperial College. He has told me a story of when he visited Bridgnorth in the late 1950s for work.
“He claims he had his portrait done by a local artist, but he never saw the actual sketch.
“I'm assuming the art piece has been lost to time or perhaps handled privately by the artist, but we are hoping that maybe somebody remembers him or has the picture.”
She said an old postcard shows the address of the property her grandfather stayed at in Victoria Road.
“He lived on the top floor. The building was owned by an older couple. He also met another Malaysian, who I believe also lived in the building, who became a life-long friend of his," she said.
“On the lower floor of the building, there was a big hall where he spent time on the weekends. There were several artists there as well. One of these artists found his looks to be intriguing and asked to do his portrait.
“My grandpa was paid a small amount an hour to sit on a tall chair for the portrait. He described it as a black and white sketch. It was later hung in the hall in that building.”
Do you remember Mr Kok Hong See-Tho or know of a portrait of a Malaysian man in Bridgnorth? If so, get in touch at richard.williams@jpress.co.uk.
