Thomas Stothard

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated lower right: Ja^s Green/1830, inscribed on the back of the canvas before lining and transcribed: Portrait of Tho^s Stothard R.A./by James Green R.A./1830/Exhibited at the R.A./that year//from the collection of Sam^l Rogers Esq/as the work of Harlow tho’/Ja^s Green/1830/is upon it.

This portraitback to top

According to Anderdon's note in his copy of the RA Catalogue for 1830 (RA library), Lord Stanhope, the NPG chairman, asked who Stothard was. Anderdon insisted, in his letter of 6 March 1857 in NPG archive, that the Green portrait of Stothard was the first gift to the NPG though this has also been claimed for Lord Ellesmere's gift of the Chandos 'Shakespeare' NPG 1.
The NPG copy of Christie's catalogue 3 May 1856 (632) contains an annotation correcting the attribution from Harlow to Green.

Physical descriptionback to top

Nearly half-length seated to left aged 75, holding spectacles, in dark green coat, white neckcloth; thick unruly white hair, bushy grey eyebrows, greenish-grey eyes, fresh complexion.

Provenanceback to top

Samuel Rogers and his sale Christie's 3 May 1856 (632) as by Harlow, bought J. H. Anderdon and given by him in 1857.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA, 1830 (581); 'Art Treasures', Manchester, 1857 lent by J. H. Anderdon; Third Exhibition of National Portraits, South Kensington, 1868 (351) lent by the NPG; 'Georgian Essex', Valence House, Dagenham, 1958 (327).

Reproductionsback to top

Stipple vignette by E. Scriven as plates to Arnold's Library of the Fine Arts, 1833 and Magazine of the Fine Arts, 1833, frontispiece.


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 Thomas Stothard