Portrait of Joseph Wright of Derby

Joseph Wright of Derby Painting Reproductions 1 of 3

1734-1797

English Romanticism Painter

Joseph Wright (September 3, 1734 - August 29, 1797), styled Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter.
He was born in Derby, the son of an attorney, who was afterwards town-clerk. Deciding to become a painter, he went to London in 1751 and for two years studied under Thomas Hudson, the master of Joshua Reynolds. After painting portraits for a while at Derby, he again placed himself for fifteen months under his former master. He then settled in Derby, and varied his work in portraiture by the production of the subjects seen under artificial light with which his name is chiefly associated, and by landscape painting.
He married in 1773, and in the end of that year he visited Italy, where he remained till 1775. While at Naples he witnessed an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which formed the subject of many of his subsequent pictures. On his return from Italy he established himself at Bath as a portrait-painter; but meeting with little encouragement he returned to Derby, where he spent the rest of his life.
He was a frequent contributor to the exhibitions of the Society of Artists, and to those of the Royal Academy, of which he was elected an associate in 1781 and a full member in 1784. He, however, declined the latter honour on account of a slight which he believed that he had received, and severed his official connection with the Academy, though he continued to contribute to the exhibitions from 1783 till 1794.
Wright's portraits are frequently defective in drawing, and without quality or variety of handling, while their flesh tints are often hard. He is seen at his best in his subjects of artificial light, of which the Orrery (1766), the property of the Corporation of Derby (now Derby City Council), and An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768), in the National Gallery, are excellent examples. His Old Man and Death (1774) is also a striking and individual production. An exhibition of Wright's works was brought together at Derby in 1883, and twelve of his pictures were shown in the winter exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1886.

125 Wright of Derby Paintings

A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery, 1766 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery 1766

Oil Painting
$3698
Canvas Print
$53.41
SKU: WOD-4150
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 147.2 x 203.2 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump 1768

Oil Painting
$4924
Canvas Print
$56.05
SKU: WOD-4151
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 183 x 244 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight, c.1768/70 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight c.1768/70

Oil Painting
$1603
Canvas Print
$57.56
SKU: WOD-4152
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 90.8 x 72.4 cm
Kenwood House (The Iveagh Bequest), London, United Kingdom

A Girl reading a Letter with an Old Man, c.1767/70 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Girl reading a Letter with an Old Man c.1767/70

Oil Painting
$1727
SKU: WOD-4153
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 91.5 x 71.2 cm
Private Collection

A Girl reading a Letter by Candlelight with a Young Man, c.1760/62 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Girl reading a Letter by Candlelight with a Young Man c.1760/62

Oil Painting
$1579
SKU: WOD-4154
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 89 x 69.8 cm
Private Collection

Portrait of William Brooke, 1760 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of William Brooke 1760

Oil Painting
$2071
SKU: WOD-4267
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Anne or Molly Cracroft, c.1760 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Anne or Molly Cracroft c.1760

Oil Painting
$2238
SKU: WOD-4268
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Francis Noel Clarke Mundy, c.1762/63 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Francis Noel Clarke Mundy c.1762/63

Oil Painting
$2130
SKU: WOD-4269
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Harry Peckham, c.1762/63 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Harry Peckham c.1762/63

Oil Painting
$2092
SKU: WOD-4270
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Nicholas Heath, c.1762/63 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Nicholas Heath c.1762/63

Oil Painting
$2149
SKU: WOD-4271
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Edward Becher Leacroft, c.1763 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Edward Becher Leacroft c.1763

Oil Painting
$2130
Canvas Print
$60.47
SKU: WOD-4272
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127.2 x 101.6 cm
Stanford University Museum of Art, California, USA

Portrait of Mrs Wilmot in Riding Dress, c.1762/63 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mrs Wilmot in Riding Dress c.1762/63

Oil Painting
$2219
SKU: WOD-4273
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of James and Mary Shuttleworth with one of their Daughters, c.1764 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of James and Mary Shuttleworth with one ... c.1764

Oil Painting
$2899
SKU: WOD-4274
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Simon Wilmot, c.1760 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Simon Wilmot c.1760

Oil Painting
$1322
SKU: WOD-4275
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Harvey Wilmot, c.1760 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Harvey Wilmot c.1760

Oil Painting
$1322
SKU: WOD-4276
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Mr and Mrs William Chase, 1760 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mr and Mrs William Chase 1760

Oil Painting
$3087
SKU: WOD-4277
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Two Boys Fighting over a Bladder, c.1767/70 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Two Boys Fighting over a Bladder c.1767/70

Oil Painting
$1517
SKU: WOD-4278
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Samuel Rastall, c.1762/64 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Samuel Rastall c.1762/64

Oil Painting
$1424
SKU: WOD-4279
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of William Rastall, c.1762/64 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of William Rastall c.1762/64

Oil Painting
$1179
Canvas Print
$63.52
SKU: WOD-4280
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 76.2 x 63.6 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA

Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator by Candle Light, 1765 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator by Candle Light 1765

Oil Painting
$2071
Canvas Print
$62.68
SKU: WOD-4281
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 101.6 x 122 cm
Private Collection

An Academy by Lamplight, 1769 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

An Academy by Lamplight 1769

Oil Painting
$2514
Canvas Print
$60.33
SKU: WOD-4282
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101 cm
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA

A Conversation of Girls (Two Girls with their Black Servant), 1770 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Conversation of Girls (Two Girls with their ... 1770

Oil Painting
$1895
SKU: WOD-4283
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Mrs John Ashton, c.1769 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mrs John Ashton c.1769

Oil Painting
$2303
SKU: WOD-4284
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Portrait of Mrs Sarah Clayton, c.1769 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mrs Sarah Clayton c.1769

Oil Painting
$2322
SKU: WOD-4285
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Fitchburg Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA

Portrait of John Milnes, 1776 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of John Milnes 1776

Oil Painting
$2428
Canvas Print
$61.03
SKU: WOD-4286
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France

Portrait of Mrs Andrew Lindington, c.1761/62 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mrs Andrew Lindington c.1761/62

Oil Painting
$1771
Canvas Print
$62.68
SKU: WOD-4287
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 76.2 x 62.8 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA

Portrait of Mr and Mrs Coltman, 1771 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mr and Mrs Coltman 1771

Oil Painting
$2604
Canvas Print
$60.61
SKU: WOD-4288
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101.6 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Portrait of Mrs Catherine Swindell, c.1769/71 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mrs Catherine Swindell c.1769/71

Oil Painting
$1308
SKU: WOD-4289
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, United Kingdom

Portrait of Captain Robert Shore Milnes, 1772 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Captain Robert Shore Milnes 1772

Oil Painting
$2514
SKU: WOD-4290
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of John Whetham of Kirklington, c.1781/82 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of John Whetham of Kirklington c.1781/82

Oil Painting
$2049
SKU: WOD-4291
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Portrait of Cornet Sir George Cooke, c.1766/68 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Cornet Sir George Cooke c.1766/68

Oil Painting
$1637
SKU: WOD-4292
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, USA

Portrait of a Lady with her Lacework, c.1770 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of a Lady with her Lacework c.1770

Oil Painting
$2238
Canvas Print
$60.20
SKU: WOD-4293
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 126.7 x 101.6 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Portrait of Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym, 1766 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym 1766

Oil Painting
$2092
Canvas Print
$61.17
SKU: WOD-4294
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101.4 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA

Portrait of Mrs Robert Gwillym, 1766 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Mrs Robert Gwillym 1766

Oil Painting
$2284
Canvas Print
$61.03
SKU: WOD-4295
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 126.4 x 101 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA

Portrait of Fleetwood Hesketh, 1769 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Fleetwood Hesketh 1769

Oil Painting
$2303
Canvas Print
$60.89
SKU: WOD-4296
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 102 cm
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom

The Old Man and Death, 1774 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

The Old Man and Death 1774

Oil Painting
$2899
Canvas Print
$50.22
SKU: WOD-4297
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 101.6 x 127.2 cm
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, USA

The Alchymist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone, 1771 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

The Alchymist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone 1771

Oil Painting
$2878
Canvas Print
$58.68
SKU: WOD-4298
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 106 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom

Portrait of Perez Burdett and his First Wife Hannah, 1765 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Portrait of Perez Burdett and his First Wife Hannah 1765

Oil Painting
$3578
Canvas Print
$54.66
SKU: WOD-4299
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 145 x 205 cm
National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic

A Philosopher by Lamp Light, 1769 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Philosopher by Lamp Light 1769

Oil Painting
$2712
Canvas Print
$60.20
SKU: WOD-4300
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 128.2 x 103 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom

Miravan Breaking Open the Tomb of his Ancestors, 1772 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Miravan Breaking Open the Tomb of his Ancestors 1772

Oil Painting
$2813
SKU: WOD-4301
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom

A Blacksmith's Shop, 1771 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Blacksmith's Shop 1771

Oil Painting
$3934
Canvas Print
$59.64
SKU: WOD-4302
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 128.3 x 104.1 cm
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA

A Blacksmith's Shop, 1771 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

A Blacksmith's Shop 1771

Oil Painting
$3956
Canvas Print
$60.61
SKU: WOD-4303
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom

An Iron Forge, 1772 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

An Iron Forge 1772

Oil Painting
$3788
Canvas Print
$69.88
SKU: WOD-4304
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 121.3 x 132 cm
Tate Gallery, London, United Kingdom

The Iron Forge Viewed from Without, 1773 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

The Iron Forge Viewed from Without 1773

Oil Painting
$3726
Canvas Print
$56.18
SKU: WOD-4305
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 105 x 140 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

The Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent, 1773 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

The Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent 1773

Oil Painting
$1873
SKU: WOD-4306
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom

Maria from Sterne, 1777 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

Maria from Sterne 1777

Oil Painting
$1939
SKU: WOD-4307
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

The Captive from Sterne, 1774 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

The Captive from Sterne 1774

Oil Painting
$1558
SKU: WOD-4326
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada

John Staveley's Head for the Captive from Sterne, c.1775/77 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction

John Staveley's Head for the Captive from Sterne c.1775/77

Oil Painting
$1190
SKU: WOD-4327
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection

Top