Oliver Goldsmith
9 of 11 portraits of Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
by James Bretherton, after Henry William Bunbury
etching, published 1776
5 1/4 in. x 3 5/8 in. (134 mm x 93 mm) plate size; 8 1/4 in. x 5 5/8 in. (210 mm x 143 mm) paper size
Given by Henry Witte Martin, 1861
Reference Collection
NPG D17847
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.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Ingamells, John, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, 2004, p. 210
Events of 1776back to top
Current affairs
Tahitian visitor to London Omai returns home with Captain James Cook on his third voyage. During his two-year stay he inspired a play and was painted by Joshua Reynolds.Member of Parliament David Hartley unsuccessfully introduces a motion to the House of Commons calling for the abolition of the slave trade.
Art and science
Edward Gibbon produces the first volume of his monumental The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.Artist John Constable is born.
Scottish economist Adam Smith analyses the nature and causes of prosperity in his magnum opus The Wealth of Nations.
International
American War of Independence: George Washington raises a new American flag on Prospect Hill, Boston. In an anonymous pamphlet entitled Common Sense, English immigrant Thomas Paine is the first to argue that the American colonies should be independent. Declaration of American Independence on 4 July.Comments back to top
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