Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

A painting by S. Pearce was offered to the NPG by the sitter's son, T. F. Dillon Croker, 1870, and again in 1882; it was sketched and recorded by G. Scharf, Sir George Scharf's Trustees' Sketch Books (NPG archives), XXX, 26; an engraving by D. Maclise (example in NPG) was published Fraser's Magazine, III (1832), facing 67, as no.9 of Maclise's 'Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters'; a water-colour study for this is in the Castle Museum, Norwich; a pencil study is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, as are two other unrelated drawings by Maclise, one dated 1827, and exhibited Daniel Maclise, Arts Council at the NPG, 1972 (6) (Maclise and Croker were close friends); Croker also appears in Maclise's engraving of 'The Antiquaries', published Fraser's Magazine, V (1832), between 474--5, in the engraving of 'The Fraserians' by Maclise, published Fraser's Magazine, XI (January 1835), between 2-3, for which two drawings are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and in his painting 'Snap-Apple Night' in the collection of Mrs M. W. Cantor, exhibited RA, 1833 (380), and Bicentenary Exhibition, RA, 1969 (219); according to the Gentleman's Magazine, XLII (1854), 401, an early full-length portrait by Maclise (seated) was then in the collection of Richard Sainthill of Cork; a water-colour by Maclise, possibly that now in the Castle Museum, Norwich (see above), was in the Sir William Drake sale, Christie's, 24 May 1892 (lot 205); an early etching by Maclise was lithographed anonymously, from a unique impression (example in NPG), for a 'Memoir' of Croker (copy in British Museum), reprinted from the Gentleman's Magazine (1854), with the addition of the portrait; Croker also appears in the illustration to his article 'Druidical Remains near Lough Gur', published Gentleman's Magazine, CIII (1833), 105-12, illustration facing 108; a medallic portrait by W. Wyon is listed by the Dictionary of National Biography (no example located).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.