Self-Portrait
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: c.1799
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 743 x 584 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Self‑Portrait” by Joseph Mallord William Turner, painted around 1799. In the frame you see a young Turner at just 24, a man who had already made a name for himself with bold, imaginative landscapes. The canvas is modest in size—about 74 × 58 cm—but the impact is huge. Turner’s gaze is direct and confident, a clear sign that he’s proud of the milestone he’s reached: election as an Associate of the Royal Academy. At that age he was one of the youngest artists to earn that status, and it meant he could exhibit freely without fear of rejection by the Academy’s committee.
His portrait isn’t just a self‑study; it’s a declaration of his technical skill and originality. You might notice his cravat and the careful rendering of light—early hints of the atmospheric mastery he’d later become famous for. The work’s reach extends beyond the gallery: in March 2020 the Bank of England featured this very self‑portrait on the new £20 note, bringing Turner’s early confidence into the modern day.
See it in person
Self-Portrait is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, 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.
