John Dawson Watson, 1832-1892, by David Wilkie Wynfield (1837

Photographer: David Wilkie Wynfield (1837–1887)

c. 1860s

Albumen print

8 1/4 x 6 3/8 inches (21.1 x 16.1 cm)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery, London, accession no. NPG P85

Photo: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Reproduced with kind permission. [Click on image to enlarge it, and see commentary below; mouse over the text for links.]

John Dawson Watson (homepage)

Wynfield as a Painter

Commentary by Dennis T. Lanigan

Wynfield has photographed Watson in the manner of Van Dyck. Juliet Hacking feels that “the sitter’s beard and whiskers were evidently primped in order to bring out a likeness between Dawson and his historical predecessor.” The choice of costume was likely that of Dawson himself (Hacking 20-21). This is one of three poses Wynfield did of Watson. J. D. Watson was a painter, primarily a watercolourist, as well as a prominent illustrator. He was elected an Associate of the Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1864 and a full member in 1869. In 1865 he moved to Milford in Surrey to be near his brother-in-law, the noted watercolour artist Myles Birket Foster.

Bibliography

Hacking, Juliet. Princes of Victorian Bohemia. London: Prestel, 2000. 20-21 and 87.

"John Dawson Watson." National Portrait Gallery, London. Web. 14 December 2023.

Victorian
Web

Visual
Arts

Photo-
graphy

David
Wilkie
Wynfield

Created 14 December 2023