Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft

by John Opie
oil on canvas, circa 1797
30 1/4 in. x 25 1/4 in. (768 mm x 641 mm)
Bequeathed by Jane, Lady Shelley, 1899
Primary Collection
NPG 1237

Sitter

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), Writer and feminist; wife of William Godwin. Sitter in 6 portraits.

Artist

John Opie (1761-1807), Portrait and history painter. Artist associated with 121 portraits, Sitter in 10 portraits.

This Portrait

The writer Mary Wollstonecraft is portrayed in this painting with the utmost simplicity. She wears a high-waisted white cotton gown while her plainly-styled hair is partially covered by a soft hat. She made her views on dress clear in her published work, stating that it should neither distort nor hide the human form but rather 'adorn the person and not rival it'. This reflected the French Revolutionary emphasis on man's natural rights and honesty; rejecting disguise and ostentation to reveal the 'real' person. Even for women without Wollstonecraft's high principles, under the prevailing influence of Neo-classicism, the emphasis in fashion of the mid-1790s was on restraint and elegance. When painted by Opie, Wollstonecraft was pregnant with her daughter Mary, who became Mary Shelley, whose birth in 1797 was to cost her mother her life. After Wollstonecraft's death this portrait hung above Godwin's fireplace.

Linked Publications

Sound Guide
Cooper, John, Visitor's Guide, 2000, p. 62
Holmes, Richard, Insights: The Romantic Poets and Their Circle, 2005, p. 32
Holmes, Richard; Crane, David; Woof, Robert; Hebron, Stephen, Romantics and Revolutionaries: Regency portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, London, 2002, p. 51
Ribeiro, Aileen, The Gallery of Fashion, 2000, p. 148
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 674
Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 218
Woof, Robert; Hebron, Stephen, Romantic Icons, 1999, p. 49

Subjects & Themes

Hats and head-attire
Regency Style - Women