Noah:  The Eve of the Deluge by John Linnell
Gypsy Caravan on Bridge by John Linnell
The Sand Pits, Hampstead Heath by John Linnell
Walking Through the Fields by John Linnell
The Woodcutters' Repast by John Linnell
A Surrey Landscape by John Linnell
Estuary Scene with Setting Sun by John Linnell
Harvesting by John Linnell
Sheep by John Linnell
The Hollow Tree by John Linnell
William Albin Garratt (1780–1858), and Family by John Linnell
Lady Torrens and her Family by John Linnell

John Linnell

1792–1882 · British

Linnell was drawing and selling portraits by the age of ten. His early teachers included Benjamin West and John Varley. He built a fortune as a fashionable portraitist before abandoning the genre around 1846 to focus on landscape.

Key facts

Lived
1792–1882, British
Movement
Works held in
44 museums[1]

Biography

He was born in Bloomsbury, London, in 1792. His most important personal connection was with William Blake: Linnell became Blake's patron and friend, commissioning the Illustrations of the Book of Job and introducing Blake to Samuel Palmer. Linnell's daughter married Palmer in 1837. He settled at Redhill, Surrey, in 1851 and spent three decades painting the pastoral landscape around his home. He died in 1882, at ninety.

Timeline

  1. 1792Born on 16 June in Bloomsbury, London, the son of a carver and gilder. By the age of ten he was drawing and selling portraits in chalk and pencil.
  2. 1805At 13, studied under the American-born painter Benjamin West and spent a year in the house of the watercolourist John Varley, alongside fellow pupils William Hunt and William Mulready.
  3. 1818Aged 26, became one of William Blake's closest friends and most important patrons in London. He later commissioned Blake's illustrations to the Book of Job and Dante's Inferno.
  4. 1824At 32, introduced the young Samuel Palmer to William Blake, a meeting that proved transformative for Palmer's art. Linnell's daughter Hannah later married Palmer.
  5. 1851Aged 59, settled at Redhill in Surrey, where he devoted himself almost entirely to painting landscapes of the North Downs and Kentish Weald, commanding high prices for his work.
  6. 1882Died on 20 January at Redhill, aged 89, having painted with undiminished energy until his final years.

Where to See John Linnell

9 museums worldwide.

Plan your visit →
  • Art Gallery of South Australia

    North Terrace, Australia

    2 works
  • Bolton Museum

    Bolton, United Kingdom

    2 works
  • Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery

    Blackburn, United Kingdom

    1 works
  • Cooper Gallery

    Barnsley, United Kingdom

    1 works
  • Dundee Art Galleries and Museums

    Dundee, United Kingdom

    1 works
  • McLean Museum and Art Gallery

    Greenock, United Kingdom

    1 works

Plan your visit to see John Linnell →

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does john linnell have kids?
    John Linnell had a daughter who married Samuel Palmer in 1837. No other children are mentioned in the provided texts.
  • When was john linnell born?
    John Linnell was born in 1792 in United the United Kingdom and Ireland. John Linnell died in 1882, aged 90.
  • Where does john linnell live?
    John Linnell settled at Redhill, Surrey, in 1851. He spent three decades painting the pastoral landscape around his home.
  • Who is john linnell?
    John Linnell, the eldest son of furniture maker William Linnell, is recorded as attending the St Martin’s Lane Academy. There, he was described as ‘an excellent carver in wood’. As a draughtsman, he was without parallel among furniture makers, both in his graphic technique and in his.
  • Where is john linnell from?
    John Linnell was United the United Kingdom and Ireland, born in 1792 and died in 1882.
  • How old is john linnell?
    John Linnell died in 1882, at the age of ninety. He was born in 1792.

Sources

Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for John Linnell.

  1. [1] museum Cleveland Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
  2. [2] museum Bolton Museum Used for: museum holdings.
  3. [3] museum Cooper Gallery Used for: museum holdings.
  4. [4] museum Temple Newsam Used for: museum holdings.
  5. [5] museum Art Gallery of South Australia Used for: museum holdings.
  6. [6] museum Art Institute of Chicago Used for: museum holdings.
  7. [7] wikidata Wikidata: Q250732 Used for: identifiers.
  8. [8] book Penelope J.E. Davies, Walter B. Denny, Frima Fox Hofrichter, Joseph Jacobs, Ann S. Roberts, David L. Simon, Janson's History of Art_ The Western Tradition (8th Edition) Used for: biography.
  9. [9] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
  10. [10] book Engen, Rodney K, Pre-Raphaelite prints : the graphic art of Millais, Holman Hunt, Rossetti and their followers Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-03. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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