Rebecca Howse (née Wildgoose) ('Mother Goose of Oxford')

© National Portrait Gallery, London

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Buy a print Buy a greetings card Make a donation

Rebecca Howse (née Wildgoose) ('Mother Goose of Oxford')

by and published by Robert Dighton
hand-coloured etching, published July 1807
11 in. x 7 3/4 in. (279 mm x 198 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D13432

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

  • Robert Dighton (1751-1814), Portrait painter, caricaturist and actor. Artist or producer associated with 320 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Rebecca Howse, née Wildgoose, was a famous Oxford flower seller who had formerly been a brothel keeper. After she went blind her husband led her around town selling flowers. She became a well-known character, nicknamed 'Flora' by the students of Oxford University. She was immortalised in this print by James Gillray in 1807 and by his rival Robert Dighton in the same year.

Related worksback to top

  • NPG D10881: Rebecca Howse (née Wildgoose) ('Mother Goose of Oxford') (from same plate)
  • NPG D12890: Rebecca Howse (née Wildgoose) ('Mother Goose of Oxford') (from same plate)
  • NPG D13431: Rebecca Howse (née Wildgoose) ('Mother Goose of Oxford') (from same plate)

Placesback to top

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1807back to top

Current affairs

Act is passed abolishing the British slave trade after vigorous campaigning by hundreds of thousands of people led by Thomas Clarkson and championed in parliament by reformer William Wilberforce.
Resignation of 'Ministry of all the Talents'. Whig politician William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, Duke of Portland, succeeds as Prime Minister.

Art and science

Thomas Hope publishes Household Furniture and Interior Decoration; influential in promoting Greek and especially Egyptian models as the epitome of fashionable style.

International

French invasion of Spain and Portugal.
Britain occupies Copenhagen and captures the Danish fleet.
Napoleon begins to wage an economic battle against Britain, recognising the impossibility of victory at sea because of Britain's superior naval power. He aims to close the entire European coastline to British trade.

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.