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selling portraits at ten, patronising William Blake, then spending three decades painting Surrey

Where to see John Linnell
Ranked by works you can see in person.
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14 works
Tate
Tate Britain, United Kingdom
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11 works
Harris Museum
Preston, United Kingdom
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9 works
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, United Kingdom
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9 works
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, United Kingdom
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7 works
Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge, United Kingdom
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5 works
National Portrait Gallery
St Martin's Place, United Kingdom
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4 works
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, United States
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4 works
Lady Lever Art Gallery
Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
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4 works
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
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3 works
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums collections
Aberdeen City, United Kingdom
John Linnell prints
Hand-finished archival prints from John Linnell's body of work.
View all 47 museums
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3 works
Sudley House
Liverpool, United Kingdom
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3 works
National Gallery of Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
Also here (6)
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3 works
Glasgow Museums Resource Centre
Nitshill, United Kingdom
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3 works
Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool, United Kingdom
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3 works
Louvre
Paris, France
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3 works
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester, United Kingdom
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2 works
Cleveland Museum of Art
Wade Park, United States
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2 works
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Houston, United States
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2 works
Royal College of Physicians
London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom
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2 works
Nationalmuseum
Stockholm, Sweden
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2 worksArt Gallery of South Australia
North Terrace, Australia
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2 works
Bolton Museum
Bolton, United Kingdom
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1 works
National Gallery of Canada
Rideau-Vanier Ward, Canada
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1 works
Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service
Colchester, United Kingdom
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1 works
Ulster Museum
Belfast, United Kingdom
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1 works
National Galleries Scotland
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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1 works
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums
Dundee, United Kingdom
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1 worksCooper Gallery
Barnsley, United Kingdom
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1 worksTemple Newsam
Leeds, United Kingdom
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1 works
Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
Birkenhead, United Kingdom
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1 worksMetropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, United States
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1 worksMcLean Museum and Art Gallery
Greenock, United Kingdom
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1 works
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Blackburn, United Kingdom
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1 works
Nottingham Museums
City of Nottingham, United Kingdom
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1 works
Whitworth Art Gallery
Manchester, United Kingdom
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1 works
National Trust
Swindon, United Kingdom
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1 works
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Auckland Art Gallery building, New Zealand
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1 works
National Museum Cardiff
Castle, United Kingdom
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1 works
Carnegie Museum of Art
Pittsburgh, United States
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1 works
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis, United States
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1 works
National Gallery of Victoria
NGV International, Australia
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1 works
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Halifax, United Kingdom
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1 works
Barts Health Archives
St Bartholomew's Hospital, United Kingdom
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1 works
Yale University Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery Swartwout Building, United States
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1 works
Birmingham Museums Trust
Birmingham, United Kingdom
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1 works
Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery
Stirling, United Kingdom
Also here (3)
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1 works
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham, United Kingdom
Can't travel? Bring John Linnell home.
See all John Linnell prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see John Linnell's work?
John Linnell's art can be viewed in numerous public collections. The National Portrait Gallery, London, holds many portraits, including depictions of Thomas Carlyle and William Blake. Other UK institutions with his work include the Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum. Outside London, collections such as the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and the National Galleries of Scotland also hold examples. Linnell is represented in several public collections outside the United Kingdom. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. These institutions offer opportunities to view his paintings, drawings, and prints. Examination of collection catalogues online will give details of current holdings and exhibition schedules.Where does John Linnell live?
John Linnell settled at Redhill, Surrey, in 1851. He spent three decades painting the pastoral landscape around his home.Where is John Linnell from?
John Linnell was United the United Kingdom and Ireland, born in 1792 and died in 1882.What should I know about John Linnell's prints?
John Linnell (1792-1882) was an English painter, engraver, and writer. He is associated with the Shoreham School, a group of artists who drew inspiration from the work of William Blake and who depicted the countryside of Shoreham, Kent. Linnell produced original etchings and engravings, and he also authorised reproductive prints of his paintings. His early original printmaking includes multiple etchings of his patron, William Blake, including one dated 1823. Later, Linnell employed printmakers to create mezzotints of his popular paintings. These included *Sheep at Noon*, after his oil painting of 1850-60, and *The Storm*, after his 1854 painting. These were large-edition prints sold to a wide audience. The British Museum holds a number of Linnell's original prints, plus many reproductive prints after his work. Linnell also made reproductive prints after Old Master paintings. In 1832, he published a series of thirty soft-ground etchings after drawings by Michelangelo in the collection of Sir Thomas Lawrence. These were intended as student aids.Why are John Linnell's works important today?
John Linnell (1792-1882) was an English painter, engraver, and writer. He is now best known for his detailed rural scenes and portraits. Linnell's art provides insight into the social and aesthetic values of 19th-century Britain. Linnell was associated with William Blake and the circle around him. He supported Blake, both financially and intellectually, during the older artist's later years. Linnell's engravings helped to circulate Blake's designs. He also commissioned and helped to arrange Blake's funeral. Linnell's own artistic output was diverse. He produced portraits of prominent figures, including Thomas Carlyle and William Wordsworth. These portraits offer valuable records of their subjects' appearances and personalities. His rural scenes, often depicting the English countryside, reflect a romantic view of nature. These paintings appealed to collectors during his lifetime and continue to attract attention from scholars and art lovers. His work is held in major collections, such as the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery in London. Linnell's art provides a window into the artistic, social, and intellectual currents of his time.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.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.What techniques or materials did John Linnell use?
John Linnell primarily used oil paints. For his initial layers, he would use pure turpentine, gradually adding linseed oil in subsequent sessions, increasing the oil content by about 10% each time. He would finish with pure linseed oil after approximately ten sessions. When preparing his surfaces, Linnell used gessoed MDF, primed canvas adhered to MDF board, and primed canvas. He favoured artist-quality materials. For brushes, Linnell preferred filberts and flats made from hog hair, ranging in size from small to large. He avoided synthetic brushes, as he felt they lacked the springiness of hog hair. He found well-worn, blunt hog hair brushes particularly useful for achieving broad, expansive marks, and for preventing overly delicate or edgy marks.
Sources
Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of John Linnell's works across the following collections.
- [1] museum Cleveland Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Bolton Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Cooper Gallery Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Temple Newsam Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Art Gallery of South Australia Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Art Institute of Chicago Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] wikidata Wikidata: Q250732 Used for: identifiers.
- [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] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
- [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 2026-06-28. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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