Sydney Morgan (née Owenson), Lady Morgan
1 of 6 portraits of Sydney Morgan (née Owenson), Lady Morgan
- Overview
- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Sydney Morgan (née Owenson), Lady Morgan
by William Behnes
pen and ink
7 1/4 in. x 9 in. (184 mm x 229 mm)
Given by Francis Draper, 1898
Primary Collection
NPG 1177
Sitterback to top
- Sydney Morgan (née Owenson), Lady Morgan (1783?-1859), Novelist. Sitter in 6 portraits.
Artistback to top
- William Behnes (1794-1864), Sculptor. Artist or producer associated with 31 portraits.
This portraitback to top
An Anglo-Irish liberal and successful novelist, Lady Morgan was a leading figure in the 'Irish cultural revival'. This was a diverse and politicised movement which began in the 1770s and aimed to recover (and sometimes invent) ancient Gaelic civilisation as a means of asserting a pre-British national identity. At first embracing both Catholics and Protestants, in its later stages it was chiefly the tool of the ruling Anglo-Irish who feared the loss of power that the 1801 Act of Union would bring. Lady Morgan's most influential novel The Wild Irish Girl; A National Tale (1806), romanticised the Irish landscape and aspects of Gaelic culture while criticising Irish peasant barbarity.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Ormond, Richard, Early Victorian Portraits, 1973, p. 324
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 440
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.