Charles Lamb
(1775-1834), Essayist and poetRegency Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 11 portraits
Lamb was one of the great essayists and critics of the early nineteenth century. A lifelong friend of Coleridge and a familiar figure in Romantic circles, Lamb worked and spent much of his life as a clerk at East India House from 1792 to 1825. His first success was the collection of prose adaptations for children, Tales from Shakespeare (1807), written with his sister Mary. Thanks to an introduction by Benjamin Robert Haydon, he began to contribute to the London Magazine in 1820. Using the pen-name 'Elia', Lamb wrote on various historical and topical subjects with nostalgia, warmth and humorous intelligence and his collected Essays of Elia (1823) was a huge success.
More on Charles Lamb: The Romantic Poets and their Circle book in our Shops
by Robert Hancock
black, red and brown chalk and pencil, 1798
NPG 449
by William Hazlitt
oil on canvas, 1804
NPG 507
after Henry Meyer
oil on canvas, based on a work of 1826
NPG 1312
by Francis Stephen Cary
oil on canvas, 1834
NPG 1019
published by Hughes & Edmonds
albumen print, published 1876
NPG Ax132900
after Brook Pulham
reproduction of etching, (1825)
NPG D9818
by Henry Meyer, published by Fisher Son & Co
stipple engraving, published 1 March 1828 (1826)
NPG D13983
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Play
Tudor and Elizabethan matching pairs
Test your memory by playing our matching pairs game. Three levels of difficulty make it fun for the whole family.
Regency familiar faces
Rearrange tiles to uncover sitters from the Gallery's Collection by playing our puzzle game.
Who do you think you were?
Answer a few lifestyle questions about the elizabethan period and discover your inner Elizabethan!