William Huntington

William Huntington, by Domenico Pellegrini, 1803 -NPG 141 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Regency Portraits Catalogue

William Huntington

by Domenico Pellegrini
1803
50 3/8 in. x 40 1/4 in. (1280 mm x 1022 mm)
NPG 141

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated on edge of table lower right: Dco Pellegrini Ft 1803/London (indistinct).

This portraitback to top

Huntington's biographer records three versions of Pellegrini's portrait, the first painted for Samuel Berry, perfumer of Soho, for 90 guineas (NPG 141), a second for Dr Butler, surgeon of Woolwich, for 100 guineas, and a third for a Mr Hunt; 'there have been many other portraits of him, mostly libellous and making him as ugly as a gargoyle' (Thomas Wright, Life of William Huntington, S.S., 1909, p 131). A letter from Huntington's granddaughter, Miss Hannah Blake, 19 November 1860, mentions the Pellegrini being in William Stevens's house together with a portrait of Dr Isaac Watts by Vanderback (possibly one of those noted in John Kerslake, National Portrait Gallery: Early Georgian Portraits, 1978, pp 296-7). She also declared that the portrait then on view in the NPG as Huntington was in fact not her grandfather 'who had a great repugnance to sitting for his likeness wherefore originals of him are scarce. The largest and best was executed by Pellegrini for a member of my family at whose demise it was purchased by Wm Stevens Esq.' This was confirmed by another biographer, Ebenezer Hooper, who said Huntington always wore a black wig and not his own hair as in that portrait which he believed represented the Rev Jonathan Franklin, a Baptist minister of Mile End Road. This refers to NPG 95 now transferred to the Reference Collection (letters in NPG archive). NPG 141 came to the Gallery as a result of a visit from Hannah Blake to its then owner William Stevens of Camberwell.

Physical descriptionback to top

Three-quarter-length seated in a Regency armchair, at a circular table, quill in right hand, left on table with paper, inkpot, seal, red sealing-wax; books in left background, green curtain right; hazel eyes, black wig, ruddy complexion.

Provenanceback to top

Samuel Berry and his family possession until bought by William Stevens, then given by him in 1862.

Exhibitionsback to top

Second Exhibition of National Portraits, South Kensington, 1867 (820), lent by the NPG.

Reproductionsback to top

Large stipple engraving by Godby lettered: Painted by D. Pellegrini 1803/Engraved by J. Godby/REVd WILLIAM HUNTINGTON, S.S./From an Original Picture in the possession of Mr Saml Berry/Pubd. Novr. 1813 by E. Huntington, 55 High Street, Bloomsbury (example presented to the NPG in 1861 by William Stevens); a small head and shoulders vignette by God by was published by Bennett 1834.


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 William Huntington