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Famed as the author of the prodigious Dictionary of the English Language (1755), he gained further prestige through the publication of his new edition of Shakespeare (1765) and his travel memoir A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland (1775). Massive, ungainly, plagued with nervous tics, Johnson was the victim of melancholia and could not bear solitude. He had an immense circle of friends, and was one of the greatest conversationalists of all time. Reynolds founded the Literary Club in 1764 to 'give him unlimited opportunities for talking'. James Boswell's Life, along with other biographies documented Johnson's behaviour and mannerisms in such detail that they have informed the posthumous diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. A study for James Barry's mural painting The Distribution of Premiums in the Society of Arts, marking the occasion on which the Society gave out awards for achievement in the arts, manufactures and commerce.
Title
Samuel Johnson
Date
1778–1780
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 60.6 x W 53 cm
Accession number
1185
Acquisition method
Purchased, 1899
Work type
Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England
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