William Hyde Wollaston

This portraitback to top

The drawing is undocumented but seems to have been a preliminary study for Jackson's two oils, one in the Wollaston family collection, the other in the Royal Society, both facing in the opposite direction. It shows the sitter aged 55-60 in the costume of 1820-5 and therefore was probably made shortly after his brief appointment as President of the Royal Society in 1820. The first portrait was painted for the scientific writer Mary Somerville - mezzotint by William Ward published 1824; the second, engraved by Skelton (undated), was presented by the Wollaston family to the Royal Society before 1857 when it was lent to the Manchester Exhibition 1857 (325) by the Royal Society itself. One of these two portraits was exhibited posthumously RA 1829 (123).

Physical descriptionback to top

Three-quarter-length seated to right, the head finely modelled with pencil and red chalk, the remainder sketched in pencil.

Provenanceback to top

Uncertain until sold by J. Sherlock at Robinson Fisher & Co 13 March 1913 (23) as 'portrait of a gentleman' by Edridge, bought by Palser and then George H. Gabb who identified it as Woolaston by Jackson; bought from George Gabb 1913.

Exhibitionsback to top

Royal Society and British Institution at private soirees in 1913, lent to both by George Gabb.


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 John Jackson

View all known portraits for William Hyde Wollaston