Henry Cavendish
(1731-1810), PhysicistMid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 4 portraits
Henry Cavendish was the outstanding natural philosopher of his time. A retiring young man, he joined the Royal Society in 1758. He was elected a Fellow shortly thereafter and joined the Society's dining club. He was profoundly respected by his contemporaries in the Society and was elected to its Council in 1765. In 1764 he started conducting scientific experiments and his first paper was published two years later. These experiments covered many areas of physics, chemistry and electrical forces and many remained unpublished during his lifetime. He discovered the constitutions of water and air and is credited with the earliest accurate calculation of the force of gravity.
Watch a film clip on the sitter from the BBC Archive in the Media section below
Men of Science Living in 1807-8
by Sir John Gilbert, and Frederick John Skill, and William Walker, and Elizabeth Walker (née Reynolds)
pencil and wash, 1858-1862
NPG 1075
Engraving after 'Men of Science Living in 1807-8'
by George Zobel, and William Walker
engraving, 1862
NPG 1075a
Key to engraving after 'Men of Science Living in 1807-8'
by William Walker
engraving, 1862
NPG 1075b
probably by Christian Rosenberg, published by John Weale, after William Alexander
aquatint, early 19th century
NPG D16591
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.