Daniel O'Connell

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed in ink, on a label on the back of the board, in the artist's hand: Daniel O'Connell Esq^re M.P./for The City of Dublin/Study for my great picture of The/House of Commons of 1833/George Hayter 1834

This portraitback to top

This is a study for Hayter's 'House of Commons, 1833' (NPG 54). In the finished group O'Connell is shown without a hat, but the profile pose of the head and treatment of the features is very similar in both group and study. In a letter of 4. November 1967 (NPG archives), Miss Kensington stated that the sketch had come from her father, who died in 1931; he might have acquired it from G. H. Hart(?), a bookseller in Bromley, Kent.

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, brown hair. Dressed in a white collar, a black stock, dark unfinished coat and greyish top hat. Brown background colour.

Provenanceback to top

Presumably Hayter Sale, Christie's, 21 April 1871 (lot 532); Miss Lorna Kensington; purchased at Sotheby's, 5 October 1967 (lot 337).

Reproductionsback to top

F. Bartolozzi 1794 (see below); J. Owen, 1799 (bust length; Public Characters of 1798-99); Orne jr. 1800 (European Mag.; half-length oval).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

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