Sir William Herschel

1 portrait

by Lemuel Francis Abbott
oil on canvas, 1785
30 in. x 25 in. (762 mm x 635 mm)
Purchased, 1860
Primary Collection
NPG 98

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Sitterback to top

Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), Astronomer. Sitter in 12 portraits.

Artistback to top

Lemuel Francis Abbott (circa 1760-1802), Portrait painter. Artist associated with 76 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

This portraitback to top

Herschel sat for this portrait on the encouragement of his friend, the naturalist, Sir William Watson: 'When you are in town on full moon nights you may perhaps spare an hour early in the morning, & may sit three or four times running - & the thing may in this way be done without much inconvenience or loss of time'. According to his sister Caroline, Abbott's portrait was a good likeness of the man who claimed 'I have looked further into space than any human being did before me.'

Related worksback to top

NPG D14425: Sir William Herschel ('Gulielmus Herschel LL.D : RSS') (source portrait)
NPG D35724: Sir William Herschel ('Gulielmus Herschel LL.D : RSS') (source portrait)

Linked publicationsback to top

Hackmann, W.D., Apples and Atoms: Portraits of Scientists from Newton to Rutherford, 1986, p. 30
Holmes, Richard, Insights: The Romantic Poets and Their Circle, 2005, p. 71
Jordanova, Ludmilla, Defining Features: Scientific and Medical Portraits 1660-2000, 2000 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 14 April to 17 September 2000), p. 110
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 300
Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 247