Charles Booth
- Artist: George Frederic Watts
- Date: circa 1901
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 29 3/8 in. x 24 3/8 in. (746 mm x 619 mm)
- Portrays: Charles Booth
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is George Frederic Watts’ oil on canvas of Charles Booth, finished around 1901. The frame measures about 29 by 24 inches, giving the painting a modest but intimate scale. As you look, note how Watts left some areas slightly rough—an unfinished touch that invites us to imagine what he intended to finish.
In front of us is Booth, a ship‑owner and social researcher, wearing a contemplative expression as if he were poring over one of his maps. He sits with a relaxed pose, the light falling across his face and hands, highlighting the careful brushwork typical of Watts’ portrait style.
The painting captures the moment when Booth was wrapping up his monumental survey of London (1886‑1903). Together with his wife, Mary Macaulay, he mapped income, class, religion, and living conditions on colour‑coded charts. The report that emerged from this work not only exposed poverty but also spurred reforms that improved many Londoners’ lives.
See it in person
Charles Booth is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
