Severn, Joseph

Severn, Joseph sĕvˈərn [key], 1793–1879, English portrait and landscape painter. He was consul at Rome from 1861 to 1872. He is best known for his devotion to Keats during the poet's last days. He became a popular portraitist, especially among the friends and associates of Keats.

See biography by W. Sharp (1892, repr. 1973); S. Smith, Countess of Birkenhead, Against Oblivion (1944) and Illustrious Friends (1965).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2025, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: European Art, 1600 to the Present: Biographies