| Method | Etching |
| Artist | after Sir Joshua Reynolds |
| Published | [c. 1800] |
| Dimensions | Image and Sheet 174 x 104 mm |
| Notes |
A three-quarter length portrait of Sir William Johnson, wearing his military uniform, a powdered wig, and holding a telescope in his right hand. Sir William Johnson (1715-1774) was an Irish born soldier, who immigrated to the Mohawk Valley, New York in 1737. He acted as a diplomat between the native Iroquois and the British colonies, while also encouraging western education and missionary activities in the area. In 1746 he was appointed colonel of the Iroquois Confederacy, bringing together the different Indian tribes in New York. Johnson took part in their council meetings, and was able to pass on information and negotiate support against the French colonists. He received the title of baronet after leading the British troops to victory as major general at Lake George. He continued to play the role of superintendent between the British and the Iroquois, and married a Mohwak woman when his first wife died, and later remarried to Molly Brant, the sister of an important Indian leader. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was one of the most important figures of the eighteenth century art world. He was the first President of the Royal Academy and Britain's leading portrait painter. Through a series of lectures on the Discourses on Art at the Royal Academy he defined the style later known as the Grand Manner, an idealised Classical aesthetic. He had a profound impact on the theory and practice of art and helped to raise the status of portrait painting into the realm of fine art. A flamboyant socialite, Reynolds used his social contacts to promote himself and advance his career becoming one of the most prominent portrait painters of the period. O'Donoghue 1908-25 2 Condition: Trimmed to image, and laid to album page. Overall time toning. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £75.00 |
| Stock ID | 47472 |