William Dowton as Sir Oliver Surface in Sheridan's 'The School for Scandal'
3 of 18 portraits by John William Gear
© National Portrait Gallery, London
William Dowton as Sir Oliver Surface in Sheridan's 'The School for Scandal'
by John Rogers, after John William Gear
hand-coloured stipple engraving, 1820s-1830s
8 7/8 in. x 5 3/4 in. (226 mm x 145 mm) plate size; 10 in. x 7 3/4 in. (253 mm x 196 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D23442
Artistsback to top
- John William Gear (1806-1866), Painter. Artist or producer associated with 18 portraits.
- John Rogers (circa 1808-circa 1888), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 26 portraits.
Events of 1820back to top
Current affairs
George III dies at Windsor Castle on 29 January and George IV ascends to the throne.'Trial of Queen Caroline' in the House of Lords; Parliament drops the Bill which was to legitimise a divorce between Caroline and George IV.
Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate the cabinet discovered. Arthur Thistlewood and fellow conspirators are hanged.
Art and science
Sir Thomas Lawrence becomes President of the Royal Academy.Astronomical Society is set up by John Herschel and Charles Babbage.
First iron steamship is launched.
International
Actor, Edmund Kean goes on a successful tour of America after making his name at the Drury Lane Theatre.Revolutions begin in Spain, Portugal and Naples.
The famous ancient Greek statue of the Venus de Milo is rediscovered on the Island of Melos and purchased by the Louvre in Paris.
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.