Samuel Johnson

Inscriptionback to top

Incised on the base Dr. Samuel Johnson and signed J. E. B.

This portraitback to top

A small-scale half-length modello, derived from the Knole portrait by Reynolds (see NPG 1445). In a letter to George Scharf of 8 March 1881 Boehm wrote that ‘if the proposal of the sketch of Dr Johnson should take some day the form of a lifesize half figure I would do it in consideration for the Gallery [if?] it is to find it’s place, for Two hundred Guineas. It is quite half a statue! you know’ (NPG archive).

Provenanceback to top

Presented by the artist 1881.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, 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 Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Bt

View all known portraits for Samuel Johnson

View all known portraits for Sir Joshua Reynolds