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John (John) Joshua Kirby

7 of 7 portraits of (John) Joshua Kirby

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John (John) Joshua Kirby

by James Scott, after Thomas Gainsborough
mezzotint, published 1879 (circa 1764)
8 7/8 in. x 7 in. (225 mm x 177 mm) plate size; 13 1/2 in. x 11 3/8 in. (344 mm x 290 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D3436

Sitterback to top

  • (John) Joshua Kirby (1716-1774), Artist and teacher of linear perspective; friend of Thomas Gainsborough. Sitter in 7 portraits.

Artistsback to top

  • Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), Portrait and landscape painter. Artist or producer associated with 268 portraits, Sitter in 8 portraits.
  • James Scott (circa 1809-circa 1889), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 136 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

Related worksback to top

  • NPG D3435: John (John) Joshua Kirby (from same plate)
  • NPG D36886: John (John) Joshua Kirby (from same plate)

Subject/Themeback to top

Events of 1879back to top

Current affairs

Women's education continues to grow, with the founding of women's colleges in Oxford. Somerville College took its name from the late Scottish scientific writer Mary Somerville. Lady Margaret Hall was founded by Elizabeth Wordsworth, great niece of the poet, and named after Margaret Beaufort, a medieval noblewoman and mother of Henry VII.

Art and science

Edison invents the first practical electric light bulb.
The first prehistoric paintings, dating back 14,000 years, are discovered in the Altamira caves in Northern Spain when a young girl notices paintings of bison on the ceilings.
The French actress Sarah Bernhardt, already acclaimed for roles in plays such as Racine's Phèdre and Victor Hugo's Hernani, celebrates a successful season at London's Gaiety Theatre.

International

Anglo-Zulu war fought between British forces and the Zulus, after disputes between the Boers and Zulu leader Cetshywayo over the Utrecht border attracted British intervention. The British victory marked the end of the independent Zulu nation, although the Zulu's initial victory at Isandhlwana was a major surprise. The Battle of Rorke's Drift was dramatised in the film Zulu, starring Michael Caine, in 1964.

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