Joanna Southcott

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed along lower edge as for engraving: Jan^y 1812 Isaiah Ch. 65 & 66 Joanna Southcott

This portraitback to top

William Sharp the engraver had been impressed with Joanna Southcott's prophecies in Exeter in 1802 and had persuaded her to come to London where she settled in Paddington beginning the practice of 'sealing' the faithful. Although she had defaced with red paint Sharp's engraving of another prophet, Richard Brothers (shown as 'Prince of the Hebrews' with heavenly rays descending on his head, defaced impression in the NPG), he never lost faith in her divine mission and was one of the devoted followers who prepared the crib destined for her Shiloh or second Christ. His portrait shows her aged about 60, reading from the Bible open at Isaiah chapters 65-6 which describe the blessed state of the New Jerusalem. The engraving is lettered as 'from life', dated January 1812 and was published by her companion Jane Townley.
Alexander Gordon, in an otherwise sympathetic article in the Dictionary of National Biography, says 'Joanna's portrait has a cunning expression' but this is surely only due to the eyes being turned towards the spectator. Letters in the NPG archive from followers of Joanna Southcott protest at the unfair prejudice of writers in various dictionaries and encyclopaedias and the word 'impostor' in frequent use, even on the NPG tablet; this was altered in 1913 at the urgent request of Holdsworth and Miss Alice Seymour, editors of The Express leaflets which expound the life and prophecies of Joanna Southcott.

Physical descriptionback to top

Head and shoulders to left in white dress and bonnet with open book resting on other books.

Provenanceback to top

Bought from S. G. Fenton (The Old Curiosity Shop, 33 Cranbourn Street, London), 1905.

Reproductionsback to top

Line engraving by William Sharp from his own drawing, lettered: Isaiah, Ch. LXV & LXVI. JOANNA SOUTHCOTT. Jan^y 1812/Drawn and Engraved from life by W^m Sharp/Published by Jane Townley, London./Published according to Act of Parliament Jan 12^th 1812 by Jane Townley London. The NPG impression has 14 in stipple numerals under the 1812 of the publication line. Variant engravings with slightly different bonnets were published without acknowledgement to Sharp during the excitement of her delusory pregnancy in 1814.


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 Sharp

View all known portraits for Joanna Southcott