Charles Townshend
7 of 8 portraits of Charles Townshend
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Charles Townshend
by John Dixon, published by William Wynne Ryland, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
mezzotint, published 21 December 1770 (1765-1767)
15 1/2 in. x 11 in. (393 mm x 278 mm) paper size
Bequeathed by (Frederick) Leverton Harris, 1927
Reference Collection
NPG D14297
Sitterback to top
- Charles Townshend (1725-1767), Whig politician; Chancellor of the Exchequer. Sitter in 8 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- John Dixon (circa 1740-1811), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 47 portraits.
- Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), Painter and first President of the Royal Academy. Artist or producer associated with 1424 portraits, Sitter associated with 39 portraits.
- William Wynne Ryland (baptised 1733-1783), Engraver and printseller. Artist or producer associated with 18 portraits, Sitter in 2 portraits.
Related worksback to top
- NPG D4489: Charles Townshend (from same plate)
- NPG D40073: Charles Townshend (from same plate)
- NPG D40074: Charles Townshend (from same plate)
Events of 1770back to top
Current affairs
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton resigns as Prime Minister and is succeeded by Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford.Art and science
Oliver Goldsmith publishes his poem The Deserted Village.Philosopher and politician Edmund Burke publishes Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents discussing the limits of the King's authority.
17-year-old Thomas Chatterton, later hailed as a significant poet, commits suicide in a London garret.
Thomas Gainsborough paints his portrait of Jonathan Buttall, which later becomes known as The Blue Boy.
International
'Townshend duties' on imports into the colonies are repealed, except for the duty on tea. However, this concession is soon followed by the Boston Massacre, in which British troops fire into an unruly crowd in Boston, killing five.Captain Cook reaches the eastern coast of Australia, at a place which he names Botany Bay. He discovers the Great Barrier Reef when HMS Endeavour runs onto it. Cook claims New South Wales for the British.
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