Francis Ronaldson; Alexander Osborne
2 of 2 portraits of Alexander Osborne
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Francis Ronaldson; Alexander Osborne
by John Kay
etching, 1794
7 5/8 in. x 4 1/4 in. (193 mm x 107 mm) plate size; 7 3/4 in. x 4 5/8 in. (197 mm x 116 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D20501
Sittersback to top
- Alexander Osborne (circa 1756-circa 1830), Royal Edinburgh Volunteer, Inspector-General and Solicitor of Customs. Sitter in 2 portraits.
- Francis Ronaldson (died 1818), Royal Edinburgh Volunteer and Surveyor of the General Post Office. Sitter in 2 portraits.
Artistback to top
- John Kay (1742-1826), Miniature painter and caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 288 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.
Events of 1794back to top
Current affairs
Treason Trials against John Horne Tooke, Thomas Hardy and John Thelwall take place amidst fears of domestic revolution. Their acquittal marks the most dramatic victory of the cause.Leader of the Opposition, Charles James Fox's Libel Bill secures the landmark right of trial by jury for the accused.
Thomas Muir and the four other Scottish Martyrs who campaigned for parliamentary reform were transported to Australia for sedition.
Art and science
Edward Jenner discovers the smallpox inoculation after realising that those who worked with cattle and caught cowpox developed immunity.Drury Lane Theatre re-opens under the management of the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. In competition with the Covent Garden Theatre it featured a new pit and boxes designed by architect Henry Holland.
International
Maximilien Robespierre, member of the French dictatorial Committee of Public Safety is arrested and executed as part of a conspiracy by enemies who disliked his anti-extremist stance and zeal for social reform.Campaign in the Low Countries under the Duke of York. Allies are defeated and French reoccupy Brussels. British troops retreat to Holland.
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