John Wilson

This portraitback to top

David Hill and Professor Wilson had known each other for several years before the photograph was taken and had collaborated on their famous book The Land of Burns published in 1840. According to the Lake District painter John Harden there was a scheme to have the Professor photographed by Hill in November 1843 (Colin Ford & Roy Strong, An Early Victorian Album, 1976, p 193), but evidently this misfired and the idea was raised again in March 1844 by J. G. Lockhart who admired the Edinburgh daguerreotypes and wished to have a copy himself - 'this art is about to revolutionise book-illustration entirely' (Mary Gordon, Christopher North: a Memoir, 1862, II, pp 284-5). The sitting took place shortly afterwards, a negative in the Scottish NPG being inscribed: Professor Wilson March 29/45/DF. There may even have been another sitting on his 60th birthday, 18 May 1845, as Mrs Gordon's frontispiece expressly says aetat 60, but the four calotypes in the Scottish NPG, varying slightly in pose, have the appearance of being taken at one sitting (Sara Stevenson, David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, Scottish NPG, 1981, p 113). However the result was much admired by his daughter: 'In this product of that wonderful art, then in its infancy, comes out the character of the man; the block, as it were, from nature, not softened down or refined away by that delicacy which so often makes portrait-painting insensate ...' The 'weepers' were worn in memory of his wife. 'The solicitude he showed about his weepers was very touching,' she continues. 'Many a time I have sewed them on while he stood by till the work was finished, never satisfied unless he saw it done himself' (Mary Gordon, Christopher North: a Memoir, 1862, II, pp 304-5).
The portrait is reproduced in reverse in Calotypes by D. O. Hill and R. Adamson … selected from his Collection by Andrew Elliot, 1928, p 68, and another in a slightly different pose in Elsie Swann, Christopher North, 1934, p 224. All four are reproduced in Sara Stevenson, David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, Scottish NPG, 1981, p 113.

Physical descriptionback to top

Half-length seated, head to right, in dark suit, white waistcoat and pleated shirt, 'weepers' sewn to sleeve.

Provenanceback to top

From 'The Hill and Adamson Albums' given by an anonymous donor, 1973.

Reproductionsback to top

Stipple vignette by R. C. Bell, of the head only, used by Mrs Mary Gordon in Christopher North, 1862, I, 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.

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