William Collins

This portraitback to top

Collins's younger son, Charles Allston, showed promise as an artist at an early age. This drawing made when the artist was aged 17, shows his father ill and suffering, about a year before his death. The sitting is recorded in his journal for 6 and 8 January 1846: 'Came down to my painting-room. Sat to Charley nearly all day for a drawing of my head ...' (quoted in the Memoirs of the Life of William Collins R.A., 1848, II, p 283). Charles Collins died in 1873 and the drawing passed to his brother, the novelist Wilkie Collins who died in 1889. It appeared in the sale of his effects at Christie's 22 February 1890 lot 55, the NPG copy of the catalogue having a small pencil sketch of it by Scharf.

Provenanceback to top

Family possession; Wilkie Collins and his sale at Christie's 22 February 1890 (55); R. B. Homewood of Brighton and bought from him 1912.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Walker, Regency Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

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