Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough
1 portrait by William Austin
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough
by Joseph Grozer, published by William Austin, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
mezzotint, published 31 March 1786 (1785)
15 1/2 in. x 11 in. (394 mm x 280 mm) paper size
Bequeathed by (Frederick) Leverton Harris, 1927
Reference Collection
NPG D15273
Sitterback to top
- Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough (1758-1844), British peer; Lord of the Admiralty 1782-83. Sitter in 4 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- William Austin (1721-1820), Drawing master and engraver. Artist or producer associated with 14 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
- Joseph Grozer (circa 1755-1798), Mezzotint engraver. Artist or producer associated with 29 portraits.
- Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), Painter and first President of the Royal Academy. Artist or producer associated with 1425 portraits, Sitter associated with 40 portraits.
Events of 1786back to top
Current affairs
Philosopher and politician Edmund Burke instigates impeachment proceedings against Warren Hastings, former Governor-General of Bengal after concerns about the moral standards of the British in India are raised.Prime Minister William Pitt appoints commissioners for the reduction of the national debt and establishes a sinking fund of £1 million a year.
Government approves the establishment of a penal colony at Botany Bay.
Art and science
Robert Burns publishes Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect bringing him immediate success across the country.Engraver and publisher John Boydell initiates plans for his Shakespeare Gallery in an effort to establish a school of British history painting.
Merchant David Dale establishes New Lanark in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, as a model cotton milling community.
International
General Charles Cornwallis succeeds Warren Hastings as Governor-General in India.Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Marriage of Figaro premieres in Vienna.
Francisco Goya is appointed court painter to the Spanish king Charles III.
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