John Bannister

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated: Geo: Dance May 10th 1800.

This portraitback to top

At the time of Dance's portrait Bannister was at the height of his career with the Drury Lane Company. His father Charles Bannister had retired the year before leaving Jack without a rival as a Sheridan comedian. Farington (Diary, 6 June 1798) records a dinner at the London Tavern where Bannister proposed a club of 9 to 12 members (Dance and Farington included) to dine at each other's houses, though elsewhere Farington described Bannister as 'an ordinary man' with no true comedy about him.

Physical descriptionback to top

Head and shoulders profile to left, lips faintly coloured red, hair in queue.

Provenanceback to top

Dance family possession until sold by the Rev George Dance, the artist's grandson, Christie's, 1 July 1898 (12) among a large collection of George Dance drawings; bought Colnaghi acting for the NPG.

Reproductionsback to top

Soft-ground etching by William Daniell (in reverse).


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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