Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue
William Cowper (1731-1800), Poet
- Gallery portraits
- All known portraits
- Biography and References
Poet, author of The Task 1785 and a translation of Homer 1791; following a breakdown in 1763 he lived a withdrawn, evangelical life with the widowed Mary Unwins, mainly in Buckinghamshire.
‘To say the truth, when a man has once turned his mind inside out for the inspection of all who chuse to inspect it, to make a secret of his face seems but a little better than a selfcontradiction’ (William Cowper, 1793).
‘he was of middle stature, rather strong than delicate in the form of his limbs; the colour of his hair was a light brown, that of his eyes a bluish-grey, and his complexion ruddy. In his dress he was neat, but not finical’ (William Hayley, 1812).
This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, 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.
‘To say the truth, when a man has once turned his mind inside out for the inspection of all who chuse to inspect it, to make a secret of his face seems but a little better than a selfcontradiction’ (William Cowper, 1793).
‘he was of middle stature, rather strong than delicate in the form of his limbs; the colour of his hair was a light brown, that of his eyes a bluish-grey, and his complexion ruddy. In his dress he was neat, but not finical’ (William Hayley, 1812).
This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, 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.