Self-portrait, c. 1770s?

Ozias Humphry RA (1742 - 1810)

RA Collection: Art

A head and shoulders self-portrait of Ozias Humphry, shown wearing a grey wig and looking to his left towards the viewer. The drawing is in black chalk with some red chalk on the face and touches of watercolour. The delicate use of chalk and the linear application of paint points to Humphry's technique as a miniaturist.

Humphry trained with the miniaturist Samuel Collins in Bath before moving to London in 1764. He established a studio in Covent Garden where he produced numerous miniature portraits, usually in watercolour on ivory. This self-portrait drawing depicts a fairly young man and probably dates from Humphry's early years in London between c. 1765-1773. Following a riding accident which affected his eyesight, Humphry embarked on a tour of Italy with George Romney in 1773. He spent five years in Italy, continuing to carry out commissions for miniature portraits although he had intended to establish himself as a painter in oils on a larger scale. After a period in London, Humphry set out for India in 1785 where he stayed for two years.

This drawing was the frontispiece to Volume II of Humphry's correspondence in the RA Archive (RAA HU/2). The papers were inherited by the artist's natural son, William Upcott, and the portrait was probably kept with the correspondence. However, it is possible that this and the other prints and drawings in the volumes were acquired later as illustrations.

Related Objects:

There is a slightly later self-portrait drawn in black chalk, by Humphry in the British Museum collection c. 1770