Joseph Farington

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed faintly in pencil on back-paper: Portrait of/Jos. Farington.

This portraitback to top

The miniature shows Farington as a youth, its exact date being fixed by an entry in his Diary for 19 January 1807: 'Nixon called & brought a Miniature of me which he painted & exhibited in 1765'. The exhibition was probably at the Society of Artists where Nixon showed miniatures from 1765 onwards. He would have been 24 then and Farington 18.

Physical descriptionback to top

Head and shoulders to left aged about 20 or less, red hair, dark blue eyes, fair complexion; brown coat and waistcoat.

Provenanceback to top

The Hon Frederick Wallop (1924); Alan Evans bequest and lent by the National Gallery 1975.

Exhibitionsback to top

Possibly the Society of Artists 1765 (93) - James Nixon, 'Portrait in Water colours Joseph Farington'; British Empire Exhibition Wembley 1924 (V140) - 'William [sic] Farington painted in 1765. Lent by the Hon. Frederick Wallop.'


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.

View all known portraits for Joseph Farington