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Thomas Crofton Croker

1 of 3 portraits of Thomas Crofton Croker

Thomas Crofton Croker, by Unknown artist, circa 1849 -NPG 4555 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Thomas Crofton Croker

by Unknown artist
circa 1849
14 in. x 10 in. (356 mm x 254 mm)
NPG 4555

Inscriptionback to top

On the reverse is a Rowney label for the board, a label referring to the Dublin Exhibition, and a small label inscribed: Mr Joly

This portraitback to top

This was offered with a companion portrait of Samuel Lover, with the same provenance, which was not acquired. Both were offered to the NPG by Captain Fuller in 1935, and lent to the Dublin Exhibition by Dr Joly (1819-92), a Dublin barrister, whose large collection of engraved portraits is now in the National Library of Ireland, Dublin. The portrait of Croker was engraved anonymously, published J. McGlashan, 1849 (example in NPG), for the Dublin University Magazine. The Irish charter horn depicted on the table was one of his most prized possessions; a woodcut of it by D. Maclise appears in the sale catalogue of his library, Puttick and Simpson, 18-21 December 1854 (lot 335).

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, brownish eyes, brown hair with grey streaks. Dressed in a black neck-tie, white shirt, and black suit and shoes, with a pair of spectacles resting on his stomach, holding a fine brush. Seated in a red chair, with his feet on a red pouffe. Brown wooden table; dun-coloured horn with silver mounts. Light greenish-beige background colour; the figure of a knight in armour shows through faintly in grisaille, top left.

Provenanceback to top

Dr Joly (1872); Captain A. W. F. Fuller (1935); David Barclay, purchased from him, 1967.

Exhibitionsback to top

Dublin Exhibition, 1872, 'Portraits' (295).


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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