'Pity the sorrows of a poor old man'
1 portrait of Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
© National Portrait Gallery, London
'Pity the sorrows of a poor old man'
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching, published 25 February 1796
13 3/4 in. x 9 5/8 in. (349 mm x 245 mm) plate size; 14 1/4 in. x 10 1/8 in. (361 mm x 256 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12558
Sittersback to top
- Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (1765-1802), Whig politician and agriculturist. Sitter associated with 39 portraits.
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797), Statesman; orator; author. Sitter associated with 107 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- James Gillray (1756-1815), Caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 887 portraits, Sitter in 7 portraits.
- Hannah Humphrey (circa 1745-1818), Publisher and printseller. Artist or producer associated with 720 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
Events of 1796back to top
Current affairs
Birth of Princess Charlotte, only child of George, Prince of Wales and Princess Caroline whose marriage soon quickly and publicly degenerates.Art and science
Fanny Burney publishes Camilla, one of several influential novels exploring social misunderstanding and the fashionable mode of sensibility.Architect William Chambers completes the building of Somerset House.
Collector William Beckford, the richest man in England, begins construction of his gothic fantasy Fonthill Abbey.
International
Napoleon Bonaparte assumes command of the French armies in Italy and defeats the Austrians at Millesimo and the Piedmontese at Mondovi.Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, arrives in India as a colonel.
John Adams is elected President of the United States, defeating Thomas Jefferson by three votes.
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