Portrait of Samuel Johnson ("Blinking Sam")

Maker Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723-1792)

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1775

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 29 15/16 × 24 13/16 in. (76 × 63 cm.) frame: 37 7/8 × 32 7/8 × 4 1/4 in. (96.2 × 83.5 × 10.8 cm.)

DescriptionHalf-length portrait of a man (Samuel Johnson) in a dark coat reading a book at close range

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Frances and Loren Rothschild

Status

On view

Label TextA poet, essayist, philosopher, and lexicographer, Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) is perhaps best known for his monumental undertaking, The Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1755. This intimate portrayal has long been regarded as a personal tribute to the writer by his friend, the painter Joshua Reynolds. It captures Johnson in a private moment, reading a book, hands tightly grasping the pages, eyes squinting to see the text. The energy with which Reynolds depicts Johnson almost devouring the words on the page vividly conveys his friend’s deep passion for knowledge.

Bibliography

History Today

Object number2006.22