Attributed to Theophilia Palmer, after Sir Joshua Reynolds PORTRAIT OF DR SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709-1784), HALF LENGTH, HOLDING A BOOK Oil on canvas 76.5 x 64.5 cm Provenance: Barclay Perkins & Co., Anchor Brewery, Southwark. Theophilia Palmer was the niece of Sir Joshua Reynolds Samuel Johnson, often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, playwright, literary critic, editor and lexicographer.