| Authorised form of name | Wilson; Benjamin (1721 - 1788); portrait painter and scientist |
| Dates | 1721 - 1788 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Date of birth | 21 June 1721 |
| Place of death | 56 Great Russell Street, Bloomesbury, London |
| Date of death | 06 June 1788 |
| Dates and places | Baptism:
St Peter's Church, Leeds, England (20 July 1721)
Burial:
St George the Matyr's burying ground, London, England |
| Occupation | Portrait painter and scientist |
| Research field | Chemistry |
| Electricity |
| Activity | Education:
Leeds grammar school
Career:
Clerk in the registry of the prerogative court in Doctors' Commons, London; clerk to the registrar of the Charterhouse, where he resumed his artistic studies under the guidance of Thomas Hudson, painter and master of the Charterhouse; visited Ireland (1746-1750); returned to London, settling in Sir Godfrey Kneller's former residence in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields (1750); gained repuration as a portrait painter; exhibited four portraits at the exhibitions of the Society of Artists (1760-61); exhibited a history painting at the Royal Academy (1783); succeeded Hogarth as sergeant-painter (1764); painter to the Board of Ordnance (1767); had his scientific research patronized by the King, inviting him to Windsor (1776); produced articles on the subject of electricity (1750-1780); resigned as painter to the Board of Ordnance.
Memberships:
Istituto delle Scienze ed Arti Liberali at Bologna |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 05/12/1751 |
| Age at election | 30 |
| Proposer | Granville Wheler |
| Martin Folkes |
| John Boyle |
| Royal Society activity | Medals and prizes:
Copley Medal 1760
Nominated by the Royal Society to serve on a committee to regulate the erection of lightning conductors on St Paul's Cathedral. |
| Relationships | Parents: Major Wilson, a wealthy clothier, and his wife, Elizabeth, née Yates.
Spouse: (m.1771) Jane Hetherington (d. c.1790).
Children: Frances Wilson, Major Gilfred Wilson; Major William Wilson; Jane Maria Wilson; Edward Lumley Wilson, Jane Wilson; General Sir Robert Thomas Wilson (1777–1849), soldier, military historian, and governor of Gibraltar. |
| Published works | RCN R67889
RCN 18917
RCN R61147
RCN R67887
RCN 21428 |
| General context | Particularly interested in static electricity and collaborated with Benjamin Hoadly, physician, in further research into electricity.
Invented and exhibited a large electrical apparatus.
Involved in a controversy with Benjamin Franklin (FRS 1756) about the design of lightning conductors.
Martin Folkes (FRS 1714) was one of his first portrait sitters. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
References:
Marta Cavazza, 'The Institute of Science of Bologna and the Royal Society in the eighteenth century' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 3-25, plate
R V Jones, 'Benjamin Franklin' in NR 1976-7 vol 31 pp 201-225
R W Home, 'Some Manuscripts on Electrical and Other Subjects Attributed to Thomas Bayes, FRS' in NR 1974-5 vol 29 pp 81-90
D J Bryden, 'Note on a Further Portrait of James Short, FRS' in NR 1969 vol 24 pp 109-112
G L'E Turner, 'A Portrait of James Short, FRS, Attributable to Benjamin Wilson, FRS' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 105-112
Douglas McKie, 'Priestley's Laboratory and Library and Other of his Effects' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 114-136 |
| Royal Society code | NA5600 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| MM/4/78 | Letter from Benjamin Wilson, Bloomsbury, to St Paul's Cathedral Dean & Chapter | 1 March 1773 |
| MM/11/41 | Notes from the minutes of meetings of the Purfleet Magazine Committee | 1772 |
| MS/391/75 | Bond of Benjamin Wilson to the Treasurer of the Royal Society | 12 December 1751 |
| L&P/4/227 | Paper, 'Prevention of ill effects of lightning, anent Captain Dibden's observations' by Benjamin Wilson | 2 July 1764 |
| L&P/4/262 | Letter, 'Of Mr Hardy's paper on colours produced by electricity' from Benjamin Wilson to Edward Hussey Delaval | 2 May 1765 |
| L&P/4/26 | Letter, 'Concerning electricty' from Thorbern Olof Bergman to Benjamin Wilson | 17 October 1760 |
| L&P/7/27 | Paper, 'New experiments and observations on the nature and uses of conductors' by Benjamin Wilson | 12 November 1777 |
| L&P/4/105 | Letter, 'On withdrawing a paper' from Edward Hussey Delaval to Benjamin Wilson | 23 March 1762 |
| L&P/4/103 | Letter, 'Observations of aurora borealis made in Sweden' from Thorbern Olof Bergman to Benjamin Wilson | 28 April 1761 |
| L&P/7/70 | Letter, 'An account of Dr Gowin Knight's method of making artifical loadstones' from Benjamin Wilson to Joseph Banks | 1 December 1778 |
| L&P/6/48 | Paper, 'Further experiments on lightning' by Benjamin Wilson | 23 February 1774 |
| L&P/7/59/1 | Paper, 'New experiments with the Leyden phial' by Benjamin Wilson | 23 June 1778 |
| L&P/7/59/2 | Plate, 'Leyden Phial attached to a point and ball, the same distance from asphere of copper' by Benjamin Wilson | 1778 |
| L&P/7/59 | Paper, 'New experiments with the Leyden phial' by Benjamin Wilson | 23 June 1778 |
| L&P/7/26/1 | Papers, 'An accident by lightning at Purfleet' by Edward Nickson, Benjamin Wilson, William Henly, Edward Nairne, Timothy Lane, John Boddington and Joseph Planta | 19 June 1777 |
| EC/1751/10 | Wilson, Benjamin: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| L&P/4/154 | Letter, 'On electricity and thunderstorms' from Thorbern Olaf Bergman to Benjamin Wilson | 20 November 1762 |
| L&P/4/175 | Letter, 'Electrical experiments' from John Bevis to Benjamin Wilson | 6 December 1763 |
| L&P/7/26 | Papers, 'An accident by lightning at Purfleet' by Edward Nickson, Benjamin Wilson, William Henly, Edward Nairne, Timothy Lane, John Boddington and Joseph Planta | 19 June 1777 |
| L&P/5/106 | Paper, 'Report on preserving St Paul's Cathedral from the effects of lightning' by the Royal Society Committee | 7 June 1769 |
| L&P/7/113 | Letter, 'Of phosphor' from Benjamin Wilson to Leonhard Euler | 25 May 1779 |
| L&P/3/180 | Letter, 'Explanation of the Leyden experiment' from Benjamin Wilson to the Royal Society | 24 June 1756 |
| MS/958 | 'Memoir of my singular history' by Benjamin Wilson FRS | 1781 |