George Whitefield
2 of 97 portraits by John Russell
- Overview
- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
George Whitefield
by John Russell
oil on canvas laid on board, 1770?
6 7/8 in. x 5 3/8 in. (175 mm x 136 mm) irregular
Given by the artist's great-grandson, Francis H. Webb, 1917
Primary Collection
NPG 1792
Artistback to top
- John Russell (1745-1806), Portrait painter and pastellist. Artist or producer associated with 102 portraits, Sitter associated with 6 portraits.
This portraitback to top
This is a fragment cut from a larger canvas. It was perhaps a study for a whole length portrait engraved and published in 1772, but no painting is now known. Whitefield was a particular friend of the artist and sat to him 11 May 1770. A great-grandson of the artist, Francis Webb, gave the portrait to the Gallery.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Kerslake, John, Early Georgian Portraits, 1977, p. 306
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 658
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'Townshend duties' on imports into the colonies are repealed, except for the duty on tea.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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