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James Smithson
Henri-Joseph Johns1816
Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery
Washington, D.C., United States
Probably born in France
Englishman James Smithson commissioned this forthright portrait from a Belgian artist working in present-day Aachen, possibly as a gift for a family member. Always painfully aware of his uncertain status as an illegitimate child of the Duke of Northumberland, he focused on his scientific publishing in chemistry and mineralogy. In 1826 he penned his most unusual will, providing for the establishment of the �Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men.�
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Details
- Title: James Smithson
- Creator: Henri-Joseph Johns
- Date Created: 1816
- Physical Dimensions: w7 x h7.6 cm
- Type: Gouache on ivory
- Rights: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Museum of American HistoryConserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee
- External Link: https://npg.si.edu/portraits
- Classification: Painting
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