'A scene in the Fair Circassian' (Robert Bensley; Elizabeth (née Farren), Countess of Derby)

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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'A scene in the Fair Circassian' (Robert Bensley; Elizabeth (née Farren), Countess of Derby)

by James Sayers
etching, 1781?
11 1/8 in. x 14 3/8 in. (281 mm x 365 mm) plate size; 12 1/2 in. x 15 3/8 in. (317 mm x 392 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1905
Reference Collection
NPG D9544

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  • James Sayers (1748-1823), Artist. Artist or producer associated with 192 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

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Events of 1781back to top

Current affairs

American painter John Singleton Copley, now resident in London, completes his celebrated painting The Death of the Earl of Chatham, depicting the collapse of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham on 7 April 1778, during a debate in the House of Lords on the American War of Independence.
William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister, enters Parliament.

Art and science

Astronomer William Herschel discovers Uranus, the first planet to be found by means of a telescope, and names it Georgium Sidus (George's Star) in honour of George III.
Artist and theatre designer Philip James De Loutherbourg presents his innovative miniature mechanical theatre, the Eidophusikon, at his house in Soho, London.

International

American War of Independence: British general Charles Cornwallis is forced to surrender at Yorktown. Maryland ratifies the Articles of Confederation - the last state to do so - completing 'the Confederation of the United States'.
Zong Massacre: 133 Africans are thrown overboard the slave ship Zong on the orders of a British slave-trader who then attempts to reclaim their value from insurers. The case becomes a landmark in the fight for abolition.

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