David Cox

This portraitback to top

This portrait was painted in Birmingham; Radclyffe was an old friend, who engraved many of Cox's pictures. Solly, who provided the date, wrote:

'The costume is very unbecoming, as he has a coat with the very broad stiff collar of that period ... The bright grey eyes look out very intelligently from beneath the full and rather bushy eyebrows, and are the most distinguishing feature of the face.'

Referenceback to top

Solly 1875
N. Solly, Memoir of the Life of David Cox (1875), pp 284-5.

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair with grey streaks. Dressed in a black stock, white shirt, yellow waistcoat, and brown coat with brown velvet collar. Seated in a wooden armchair covered with red figured material. Background colour greenish-brown.

Provenanceback to top

The sitter; by descent to his son, David Cox junior; Shepherd Bros, purchased from them, 1905.

Exhibitionsback to top

Spring Exhibition, Shepherd Bros, 1905 (90).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, 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.

View all known portraits for David Cox