George Romney

George Romney, by Mary Barret, circa 1798 -NPG 1881 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue

George Romney

by Mary Barret
circa 1798
2 7/8 in. x 2 1/4 in. (73 mm x 57 mm) oval
NPG 1881

Inscriptionback to top

Old backing inscribed in Ernest Leggatt’s hand: George Romney in 1798 Painted by Miss M Barrett a pupil of Romneys Purchased May 24 1894 at the sale of the late Miss Romney of Whitestock Hall Ulverstone.

This portraitback to top

The artist was studying under Romney in 1797, [1] and the date of 1798 assigned to NPG 1881 at the Romney sale is entirely appropriate. In 1798 Romney was suffering from ‘lassitude of body, and restlessness of mind,’ but in May he was ‘very chearfully amused by sitting to a lady of the house [of the late Jeremiah Meyer], for his portrait; it was an ex tempore production; a rapid sketch; but a very striking resemblance’. [2] This may refer to NPG 1881, or to another Barret portrait.

Footnotesback to top

1) She was listed ‘At Mr Romney’s’, RA cat., 1797.
2) W. Hayley, A Life of George Romney, 1809, p 281.

Referenceback to top

Walker 1998
R. J. B. Walker, Miniatures in the National Portrait Gallery, 1998, no.59.

Physical descriptionback to top

Brown eyes, white hair, dark grey coat with white neckcloth.

Provenanceback to top

Miss Elizabeth Romney;1 Romney sale Christie’s, 24 May 1894, lot 140 (Portrait of G. Romney, in 1798, by M. Barrett); Ernest E. Leggatt, by whom presented 1920.

1 See NPG 959.

Exhibitionsback to top

Cumbrian Characters, Kendal, 1968 (30).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, 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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