The Peter Benchley Collection: Jaws, A Life of Writing, A Legacy of Ocean Conservation.

Thomas Trotter Engraving Samuel Johnson

Live auction will start in __ days and __ hours

Start price: $50

Estimated price: $100 - $200

Buyer's Premium: 25%

Description

Thomas Trotter (British, 1750-1803). Engraving, Samuel Johnson. Full-length portrait of the English lexicographer in profile, wearing characteristic 18th-century attire and leaning on a walking stick. The work is executed with fine-line hatching and cross-hatching. Inscribed Sam: Johnson. in script at the lower right. The trimmed print is mounted to a brown card with a metal clip. Sheet: 9 1/8 x 6 in.

Samuel Johnson, the great man of words and wit of eighteenth-century London, was a lifelong fascination of Peter’s. He read Johnson and Boswell by the volume and kept five typewritten pages of Johnson’s sayings close at hand. These two portraits of Johnson hung in his home. See also the Johnson and Boswell books in Lot 92.

From the personal collection of Peter Benchley (American, 1940–2006), acclaimed author of Jaws, accomplished diver, and prominent advocate for ocean and shark conservation.

Proceeds from the Peter Benchley Collection will benefit five ocean conservation organizations: Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, WildAid, Beneath the Waves, Blue Frontier and Environmental Defense Fund.


Condition report:

Significant overall toning and scattered foxing throughout the sheet. A prominent diagonal crease and fold are present at the lower-left corner. The paper is trimmed, and no plate marks are visible. Currently mounted to a card backing with a metal clip.