About this work
By 1715 Joseph Highmore was established as a portraitist, painting citizens of London ‘in the Very habit they appear in’, as noted by eighteenth-century chronicler of British art George Vertue. Highmore was recognised by contemporaries as a master of two portrait styles, which he varied according to his sitter: the elegantly modish and what Vertue called a ‘natural easy style’. This self-portrait epitomises the latter, with Highmore presenting himself in the dual role of professional artist and educated gentleman.