Thomas Hussey
1 portrait by William Hincks
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Share this
Thomas Hussey
by William Hincks, after Timothy Collopy
stipple engraving, circa 1788; published after 1788
12 1/2 in. x 11 5/8 in. (316 mm x 296 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D36415
Sitterback to top
- Thomas Hussey (1746-1803), Roman Catholic Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Artistsback to top
- Timothy Collopy (died circa 1810), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 1 portrait.
- William Hincks (1752-1797), Painter and draughtsman. Artist or producer associated with 3 portraits.
Events of 1788back to top
Current affairs
Parliament begins an investigation into the slave trade, led by reformers Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce.Regency Crisis; George III's madness is announced provoking a political storm.
Former Governor-General of Bengal Warren Hastings' trial begins before the House of Lords.
Henry Benedict Stuart becomes the new Stuart claimant to the British throne.
Art and science
Artist Thomas Gainsborough dies.First edition of The Times newspaper is published in London.
Scottish engineer and inventor William Symington demonstrates the first paddle steamer on Dalswinton Loch near Dumfries.
Robert Burns writes his version of the Scots poem Auld Lang Syne.
International
Ministers of the French King, Louis XVI, reluctantly announce that the Estates General will meet the following year, for the first time since 1614.United States constitution comes into force when New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify it.
First Fleet reaches Australia, anchoring in Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip, selecting a suitable site for the first Australian penal colony, names the place Sydney Cove.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
j wallace
26 August 2015, 14:02
if this is a portrait of Thomas Hussey, why is 'John Howard Esqr' written underneath?
Paul Cox
25 September 2015, 10:00
Dear Mr Wallace
Thank you for your message about this portrait. Almost all known impressions of this print are untitled, but the identity as Thomas Hussey is supported by facial likeness to painted portraits at St James's, Spanish Place, and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. The inscription identifying the portrait as John Howard (the penal reformer) must have been added at a later date, perhaps after Howard's death, by a publisher seeking to create a new market for the print. Howard refused on principle to have his portrait painted or sculpted during his lifetime, so the only portraits available are those made 'by stealth' or from memory. There was clearly a demand for portraits which was met by the many substandard or false portrait prints bearing his name. In this case there is a broad similarity between the shape of the nose in the portrait of Hussey and some of the portraits of Howard, but no further correspondence in the features.
Paul Cox