'Lingo and Cowslip' (John Edwin the Elder; Mary Stephens Wells (née Davies))
1 portrait by James Birchall
© National Portrait Gallery, London
'Lingo and Cowslip' (John Edwin the Elder; Mary Stephens Wells (née Davies))
by Edmund Scott, published by James Birchall, after Henry Singleton
stipple, published 1 May 1788
15 in. x 14 in. (380 mm x 355 mm) plate size; 16 3/8 in. x 14 1/8 in. (416 mm x 360 mm) paper size
Bequeathed by (Frederick) Leverton Harris, 1927
Reference Collection
NPG D15108
Sittersback to top
- John Edwin the Elder (1749-1790), Comedian. Sitter in 4 portraits.
- Mary Stephens Wells (née Davies) (1762-1829), Actress and singer. Sitter associated with 4 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- James Birchall (died 1794), Print publisher and framemaker. Artist or producer associated with 9 portraits.
- Edmund Scott (1758-circa 1811), Engraver and draughtsman. Artist or producer associated with 21 portraits.
- Henry Singleton (1766-1839), Painter. Artist or producer associated with 16 portraits.
Events of 1788back to top
Current affairs
Parliament begins an investigation into the slave trade, led by reformers Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce.Regency Crisis; George III's madness is announced provoking a political storm.
Former Governor-General of Bengal Warren Hastings' trial begins before the House of Lords.
Henry Benedict Stuart becomes the new Stuart claimant to the British throne.
Art and science
Artist Thomas Gainsborough dies.First edition of The Times newspaper is published in London.
Scottish engineer and inventor William Symington demonstrates the first paddle steamer on Dalswinton Loch near Dumfries.
Robert Burns writes his version of the Scots poem Auld Lang Syne.
International
Ministers of the French King, Louis XVI, reluctantly announce that the Estates General will meet the following year, for the first time since 1614.United States constitution comes into force when New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify it.
First Fleet reaches Australia, anchoring in Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip, selecting a suitable site for the first Australian penal colony, names the place Sydney Cove.
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