Portrait of Samuel Johnson ("Blinking Sam")

Maker Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723-1792)

Collections British Paintings

Classifications PAINTINGS

Medium oil on canvas

Dimensions 29 15/16 x 24 13/16 in. (76 x 63 cm.)

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

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

Label Text A 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.



Status On view