David Livingstone

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed on a label on the back of picture: Portrait of D^r Livingstone/By/Frederick Havill

This portraitback to top

This portrait is almost certainly posthumous, and was presumably painted with the aid of photographs; there is a photograph by Mayall similar in pose and features to the portrait (example in NPG). The sitter's daughter, Mrs Bruce, wrote (letter of 16 May 1896, NPG archives): 'I wonder if the Artist did not paint it from photographs, because I only remember my father sitting to two Artists. The one portrait I have, & the other is at Newstead Abbey.' Mrs Bruce's portrait was by Craig, and that at Newstead was done by J. B. Harrison. A coloured reproduction of the NPG portrait was published Museum Galleries, 1927 (example in NPG).

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark complexion, brown eyes, brown hair, moustache and whiskers, with grey streaks. Dressed in a white shirt, black coat, and dark grey trousers. Seated in a red armchair, reading a letter or notebook on his knee. Background colour dark brown.

Provenanceback to top

John Lillie, presented by him, 1896.


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 Livingstone