John Bright

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated (lower left): W. W. Ouless/1879

This portraitback to top

Ouless painted another portrait of Bright, also signed and dated 1879, which is now in the Manchester Reform Club. It was exhibited RA, 1879 (183), etched by P. Rajon, and engraved by P. Naumann (examples in British Museum). It shows Bright seated in the same chair as in the NPG portrait, but facing the other way, holding a book with both hands on his crossed knees. Sittings for this portrait are recorded in Bright's diary from 13 June 1878 to 3 April 1879, when Bright wrote: 'Jas H. Tuke ... with me to Mr Ouless, who made a slight alteration in the portrait; but I do not think he has been successful with my likeness' (Walling, p 421). The entry in Bright's diary for 17 August 1879 must refer to the NPG portrait, as the Manchester Reform Club portrait had to be finished for the opening of the Royal Academy in May: 'To Mr Ouless -final sitting. My bro.-in-law Vaughan there. He likes the portrait' (Walling, p 8). Bright's daughter, Priscilla, also approved of the portrait when she went to see it on 1 September (Walling, p 8). It is not known who commissioned the NPG portrait. It is significantly close to photographs of Bright by Rupert Potter taken in 1873 (examples in NPG), and a later photograph by Barraud (example in NPG), where the gesture of the hand propping up the head is almost identical, so that it may not have been painted entirely from the life.

Referenceback to top

Walling (ed.) 1930
The Diaries of John Bright, edited R. A. J. Walling (1930), p 448 and n.

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, dark eyes, greyish hair. Dressed in a white shirt, dark stock, black suit, with a gold stock-pin and watch-chain. Seated in a wooden chair. Background colour dark brown.

Provenanceback to top

Christie's, 4 May 1889 (lot 123), bought Leopold Salomons, and presented by him, 1889.


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.

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