John Russell
Around 1792 Pastel on paper, 64 x 77 cm
Acquired by the Samuel Courtauld Trust with assistance from the Art Fund and V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 2001
This pastel portrays a porter of the Royal Academy, probably John Withers, standing in the entrance hall of the Academy’s premises at Somerset House. Holding an admission ticket and an exhibition catalogue, he greets visitors to the annual Summer Exhibition. Behind him, fashionable visitors jostle up the famously steep staircase to the Great Room on the top floor.
As an Academician, the pastellist John Russell would have known Withers well. This portrait was included in the Summer Exhibition of 1792 and displayed in this room.
Photo Ⓒ The Courtauld