William Strahan

1 portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds

William Strahan, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1780 -NPG 4202 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue

William Strahan

by Sir Joshua Reynolds
1780
36 in. x 28 in. (914 mm x 711 mm)
NPG 4202

This portraitback to top

Strahan sat to Reynolds on seven occasions in May and June 1780, and NPG 4202 was paid for on 30 May 1780 (£40) and June 1783 (£38.19). [1] Reynolds had originally intended to exhibit it in 1781, but did not do so until 1783, when it was described as ‘well executed but much too flattering’. [2]
A copy by William Beechey was given to the Stationers’ Company by Andrew Strahan in 1815; [3] another is in a private collection.

Footnotesback to top

1) M. Cormack, 'The Ledgers of Sir Joshua Reynolds', Wal. Soc., XLII, 1970, pp 163, 164.
2) Morning Post, 1783, as quoted by D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1717.
3) D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, nos.1017a.

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue eyes, white powdered wig, wearing a dull red suit and silver waistcoat.

Provenanceback to top

By descent to Mrs Arthur Lemon (née Strahan), 1897; Mrs W. Strahan, from whom purchased 1961.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA 1783 (230); British Institution 1833 (33) lent E. Snow Strahan; Royal House of Guelph, New Gallery, London, 1891 (195) lent Mrs A. Lennon; Johnson, Arts Council, 1984 (38).

Reproductionsback to top

J. Jones 1792; C. A. Tomkins 1866.


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 Joshua Reynolds

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