Samuel Johnson and Biography

Dr Samuel Johnson is recognised today throughout the world as one of the most important figures of the eighteenth century. He achieved fame for his unprecedented Dictionary of the English Language which was first published in 1755. To this day he has remained in the public eye due to the continued popularity of his entertaining anecdotes, the intellectual range of his writing and the numerous biographies written about him.

The display will explore Johnson’s life through images of the writer himself as well as show the circles in which he moved, whether with artists like Sir Joshua Reynolds or actors like David Garrick.
It focuses particularly on how after Johnson’s death in 1784 his life was then recorded in numerous biographies. Although The Life of Samuel Johnson LLD written by his friend James Boswell, published in 1791, is the best known to us, many more were also written by close friends and acquaintances. In addition, a very personal glimpse of Johnson’s life was given by diarists such as Fanny Burney. From all of them we can obtain a detailed account of Johnson’s life and the way in which he appeared to those around him.

This display at Beningbrough will bring together portraits of Johnson and his circle, showing some key influences on Johnson’s life and the connections with his biographers. It also includes some of the many satirical prints that emerged after Johnson’s death in response to the race to record his life.