1 OF 4 
Oliver Goldsmith
1 of 4 portraits by Henry William Bunbury
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Share this
Oliver Goldsmith
by James Bretherton, after Henry William Bunbury
etching, late 18th century
7 1/4 in. x 5 1/8 in. (183 mm x 129 mm) paper size
Given by Henry Witte Martin, 1861
Reference Collection
NPG D13797
Artistsback to top
- James Bretherton (circa 1730-1806), Engraver and printseller. Artist or producer associated with 44 portraits.
- Henry William Bunbury (1750-1811), Artist and caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 4 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.
Events of 1770back to top
Current affairs
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton resigns as Prime Minister and is succeeded by Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford.Art and science
Oliver Goldsmith publishes his poem The Deserted Village.Philosopher and politician Edmund Burke publishes Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents discussing the limits of the King's authority.
17-year-old Thomas Chatterton, later hailed as a significant poet, commits suicide in a London garret.
Thomas Gainsborough paints his portrait of Jonathan Buttall, which later becomes known as The Blue Boy.
International
'Townshend duties' on imports into the colonies are repealed, except for the duty on tea. However, this concession is soon followed by the Boston Massacre, in which British troops fire into an unruly crowd in Boston, killing five.Captain Cook reaches the eastern coast of Australia, at a place which he names Botany Bay. He discovers the Great Barrier Reef when HMS Endeavour runs onto it. Cook claims New South Wales for the British.
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.
