A walk from Bridge Street Sir Isaac Pennington by Robert Dighton 1815

DIGHTON, Robert. A Walk from Bridge Street to St John’s Hall (Sir Isaac Pennington, Regius Professor of Physic, Cambridge). 
 
London (or Brighton), published 1815.
 
Etching with original hand colouring, 345 × 240 mm (paper size), printed on wove paper. states in the plate lower centre: Drawn Etch’d & Pub. by R. Dighton. 1815. paper toned at the edges from old mount, a few pin sized holes at lower edge, minor handling creases; side edges have been trimmed.
 
A full-length walking profile of Sir Isaac Pennington (1745–1817), the celebrated Cambridge physician and Regius Professor of Physic, shown striding along the pavement in dark coat, breeches, and top hat, holding his hat and cane behind his back. The title alludes to Pennington’s daily walk from his house in Bridge Street to St John’s Hall.
 
Executed in Robert Dighton’s distinctive manner, the etched outline has been worked on by him with delicate hand-tinting in grey, brown and flesh tones. Although the National Portrait Gallery lists its impression under Richard Dighton (1752–1880), the inscriptional formula — “Drawn Etch’d & Pub. by R. Dighton” — and the 1815 date identify this as one of Robert Dighton’s final works, probably drawn in 1814 and issued shortly after his death. The British Museum catalogue (BM Satires 12579) now attributes the plate correctly to Robert Dighton, whose “walking portraits” of Cambridge and Brighton figures form the last phase of his career.
 
A rare late, posthumous work by Robert Dighton, recorded examples in the British Museum and National Portrait Gallery, London.