John Linnell Archive

© The Fitzwilliam Museum

The Fitzwilliam Exhibition

17 July - 4 November, 2001

Glaisher Gallery

John Linnell (1792 - 1882), best known as a portrait and landscape painter, was one of the most highly regarded and successful artists of his day and formed an impressive network of connections. He was Blake's last patron and his daughter, Hannah, married Samuel Palmer. Last year, with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and contributions from the Friends of National Libraries, the Pilgrim Trust and the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust, the Fitzwilliam Museum acquired John Linnell's archive, regarded as one of the most remarkable artistic archives to survive from the nineteenth century. This exhibition demonstrates the variety of material it contains and includes letters from Constable, Palmer, George Richmond and Wainewright the Poisoner, as well as a miscellany of items offering insights into social and financial aspects of life at that time.