James Boswell
(1740-1795), Biographer of Dr JohnsonMid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter associated with 17 portraits
Born in Edinburgh in 1740, Boswell was the son of the Laird of Auchinleck, a title he later inherited. In 1762, having qualified as a lawyer, he travelled to London hoping to rub shoulders with ‘men of genius’ and in particular his literary hero, Samuel Johnson. He realised this ambition the following year when he met Johnson in a Covent Garden bookshop. The two men became close friends despite having differing views on topics such as the slave trade. Boswell called Johnson’s views against the slave trade ‘zeal without knowledge’ and published an anti-abolitionist poem No Abolition of Slavery; Or the Universal Empire of Love in 1791. Nevertheless, Boswell is chiefly remembered for another work published in 1791, his acclaimed Life of Samuel Johnson, in which the innovative use of colloquial language, conversation and short sentences helped to bring Johnson’s character to life.
studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds
oil on canvas, based on a work of circa 1785
NPG 1675
after Sir Thomas Lawrence
pencil and wax crayon on paper, circa 1830-1839, based on a work of circa 1790-1795
NPG 2755
by George Dance
pencil, crayon and wash, 1793
NPG 1139
by James Brownlee Hunter, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
monochrome watercolour on paper, late 19th century
NPG 4344
James Boswell in dress of Corsican chief
by John Sebastian Miller (formerly Johann Sebastian Müller), after Samuel Wale
line engraving, published 1769
NPG D5416
by G.W. Hutin, published by Abraham Wivell, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
stipple engraving, (1785)
NPG D14716
by James Sayers, published by Thomas Cornell
etching, published June 1786
NPG D12243
by and published by John Jones, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
mezzotint, published 17 January 1786 (1785)
NPG D19988
published by John Sewell, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
stipple engraving, published 1787 (1785)
NPG D14282
Unknown man, possibly James Boswell
by Henry Bone, possibly after Sir Joshua Reynolds
pencil, early 19th century
NPG D17755
by William Daniell, after George Dance
soft-ground etching, published 10 April 1802 (28 April 1793)
NPG D31998
by William Daniell, after George Dance
soft-ground etching, published 10 April 1802 (28 April 1793)
NPG D12117
by Unknown artist
stipple engraving, published 1803
NPG D34872
'A literary party at Sir Joshua Reynolds's'
by D. George Thompson, published by Owen Bailey, after James William Edmund Doyle
stipple and line engraving, published 1 October 1851
NPG D14518
by G.W. Hutin, published by Abraham Wivell, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
stipple engraving, (1785)
NPG D20264
'A literary party at Sir Joshua Reynolds's'
by D. George Thompson, published by William Walker, and Owen Bailey, after James William Edmund Doyle
stipple and line engraving, published 1 July 1848
NPG D49811
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