Statue of Samuel Johnson
Statue in London, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The statue of Samuel Johnson is a Grade II listed statue on the Strand in the Churchyard of St Clement Danes church in London.[1]
| Dr Samuel Johnson | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Artist | Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald |
Completion date | 1910 |
| Subject | Samuel Johnson |
| Location | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Statue of Doctor Johnson in Churchyard at East End of St Clement Danes |
| Designated | 24 February 1958 |
| Reference no. | 1237100 |
Samuel Johnson was a writer and lexicographer most famous for his dictionary, who lived and worked nearby on Fleet Street, a location renowned for its historic connection to print houses. It was in his house in Gough Square that Johnson wrote his dictionary. St Clement Danes was a church frequented by Johnson.[2][3]
The statue was designed by Percy FitzGerald and was inspired by a portrait of Johnson by Sir Joshua Reynolds. As in Reynolds's portrait, the statue similarly shows Johnson with a full-bottomed wig; he also holds a book in his left hand with an inkwell at his feet. The front of the plinth on which he stands has a portrait in relief of his biographer James Boswell.[2] A marble statue of Johnson also stands inside St Paul's Cathedral, the first statue to be placed in the church.[4] In 1995 the book in Johnson's hand was stolen and replaced by a replica made by Faith Winter, who was also the sculptor of two statues at the western front of St Clement Danes.
