Henry Pearce
- Artist: William Armfield Hobday
- Artist: Joshua Lopez
- Artist: I. Woolworth
- Date: circa 1805
- Medium: etching
- Dimensions: Long Term Loan
- Portrays: Henry Pearce
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is an etching of Henry Pearce, made around 1805. You’ll see the sitter in profile, his head turned slightly to one side, his brow furrowed, the details of his face rendered with fine lines. The engraving shows him in a simple shirt and trousers, suggesting the everyday attire of a prize‑fighter of the early nineteenth century.
The image was engraved by I. Woolworth and Joshua Lopez from an original portrait painted by William Armfield Hobday. The two engravers worked together to capture Hobday’s brushwork in black ink on paper, giving the piece a crisp, almost photographic quality that was common for prints of sporting figures at the time.
Henry Pearce lived from 1777 to 1809 and appeared twice in portraits; this one is one of those early depictions. The etching shows him ready to race or fight, with a calm intensity in his gaze that hints at the world of prize‑fighting he inhabited before his early death.
See it in person
Henry Pearce 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.
