James Johnstone, physician of Worcester. Drawing.

Identity of sitter inferred from inscription on old backing-sheet, "James Johnstone of Worcester M.D 1730-1802 "Galabank"" (Galabank being the name of the house from which the work came). The sitter bears some resemblance to both James Johnstone the elder (1730-1802) as he appears in a painting offered for sale at Christie's South Kensington, 20 November 1992, lot 94, and to James Johnstone the younger (1754-1783) as he appears in a portrait after John Russell (see Burgess, Portraits of doctors and scientists in the Wellcome Institute, no. 1542.1), but the present sitter looks too old to be the younger, who died aged 29 years. Therefore, it seems that the inscription identifying the present sitter as James Johnstone the elder (1730-1802) may well be correct

James Johnstone the elder (1730-1802) was the author of "An historical dissertation concerning the malignant epidemical fever of 1756. With some account of the malignant diseases prevailing since the year 1752, in Kidderminster", London 1758

[between 1700 and 1799]

1 drawing : ink wash ; sight 16.4 x 14 cm

Wellcome Collection 11962i