Henry Wigstead
He was a patron and close personal friend of Thomas Rowlandson, whom he accompanied on sketching trips to the Isle of Wight (1784), Brighton (1789) and Wales (1787) which resulted in subsequent publications for which Rowlandson provided the illustrations. Wigstead exhibited at the RA exhibition of 1785. His style appears to be close to Rowlandson, who created prints of many of his works, often signing them as Wigstead.
Henry Wigstead
https: Gallery: https: Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-03-23) · CC BY 4.0
- Name
- Henry Wigstead
- Born
- c. 1760
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Died
- 1800
- Place of death
- Margate, Kent
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- Occupation
- caricaturist · illustrator
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Documentary summary
He was a patron and close personal friend of Thomas Rowlandson, whom he accompanied on sketching trips to the Isle of Wight (1784), Brighton (1789) and Wales (1787) which resulted in subsequent publications for which Rowlandson provided the illustrations. Wigstead exhibited at the RA exhibition of 1785. His style appears to be close to Rowlandson, who created prints of many of his works, often signing them as Wigstead.
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Note VALÉORINE
Henry Wigstead (1745–1800) was a caricaturist and illustrator, of British nationality. The caricaturist was born in London. Works are held at National Library of Wales and Yale Center for British Art.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q5730140 · wikipedia · Henry Wigstead
In this article
Biography
Biography
Wigstead also ran a successful interior decorating business and in June 1788 was appointed "House painter to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales". His company worked on the Royal Pavilion for the Prince of Wales (the future George IV) When George III became incapacitated, the Prince hired Wigstead to distribute satirical caricatures across England attacking the king and those in William Pitt the Younger's cabinet who the Prince believed were frustrating his claim to the Regency. Although Wigstead's name was associated with these prints, the recent discovery of payments to Thomas Rowlandson confirm that his friend was the actual artist. Wigstead died in Margate. Wigstead's only known surviving work in oil, A Country Vicar's Fireside, was rediscovered by art dealer Xander Haveron-Jones in 2024. Yale University's Lewis Walpole Library acquired the work for their collection in March 2025. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1786, and had long been attributed to William Hogarth.
Print; Prints
Thomas Rowlandson / George Moutard Woodward / Henry Wigstead · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
Print; Prints
George Moutard Woodward / Henry Wigstead / Thomas Rowlandson · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Henry Wigstead • Born — c. 1760 • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 1800 • Place of death — Margate, Kent
Works
Works
• Wigstead, H & Rowlandson T: An Excursion to Brighthelmstone, made in the year 1789, by Henry Wigstead and Thomas Rowlandson, with eight engravings by TR Geo and J.Robinson, London, 1790 • Wigstead, H: Remarks on a Tour to North and South Wales in the year 1797 by Henry Wigstead - W.Wigstead, London, 1800
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1745
Henry Wigstead born at London.
1800
Henry Wigstead died.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5730140: Henry Wigstead
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Henry Wigstead”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Payne, Matthew. Regarding Thomas Rowlandson 1757–1827, His Life, Art & Acquaintance. Hogarth Arts. 120. 2010. 978-0-9554063-5-5.
- 2.Haveron-Jones, Xander. Henry Wigstead (1760-1800). Haveron Fine Art.
- 3.Yale University. A country vicar's fire-side. Yale University Library Digital Collections.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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- Henry WoodsIllustrator
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- Henryk HechtkopfIllustrator
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