Late 18th Century British School - Portrait of the English poet Thomas Chatterton | watercolour

Late 18th / early 19th Century British School
Portrait of the English poet Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770),
inscribed verso 'Thomas Chatterton / died at Brooke St, Holborn / a self poisoning "The sleepless soul, that perished in his pride" Wordsworth, buried in workhouse in Shoe Lane, London',
watercolour on paper,  7.5 x 6cms, 8.5 x 7cms in frame.

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The above images and script are direct from the-Saleroom.com, where this little portrait is being offered for sale at auction in July 2025. 

 

It is being offered as a genuine 'portrait of Chatterton', however the auction house is in error, as the claim made in the note attached to the back of the portrait is spurious. 

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It stands to reason that to verify the claim, the note needs be contemporary with the portrait, and it needs have been painted when Chatterton was alive.  Otherwise, it is just another one of those attempts, when Chatterton's fame was at its height, to increase the value of a little portrait of an unknown man, among a thousand portraits of unknown men.

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Examining the claim in the note:

​The claim is written on a tatty piece of blue paper stuffed into the back of the frame.  The handwriting is of a later period, demonstrated by its general appearance and also by the letter 'P,' which, in the 18th century was often written with an open loop.  The writer of the note needed two attempts to get Chatterton's name right. 

 

More importantly, the lines by Wordsworth, from his poem 'Resolution and Independence,' were not published until 1807, which shows that the note, at its earliest, was written 37 years after the death of Chatterton.  This alone negates the claim that this is a portrait of Chatterton.

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If Chatterton sat to an artist, he would have been given the portrait and would have made a note on the back. The note would be to one or other of his paramours or, more likely, to his mother and sister.

This I can guarantee you, the handwriting on the note is not Chatterton's.

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The rest of these pages detail research by various experts on the question of  'portraits' of Chatterton, they all confirm that no portrait exists - however, there are a couple of descriptions of Chatterton listed further down these pages.

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I know, I know, now that I have placed it on this website, everyone interested in Chatterton will be made aware of it - so be it, it is all grist to the mill, and fun to boot.  (Live Auction July 2025)