William Dunlop

This portraitback to top

This is a finished study for the engraving of Dunlop by Maclise published as no.35 in his 'Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters', Fraser's Magazine, VII (April 1833), facing 436, with an accompanying character sketch by William Maginn. It was republished in A Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters (1830-38), edited W. Bates (1873), facing p 94. The NPG water-colour and the finished engraving are almost identical except that the latter does not include the gun and hunting horn on the left. Maclise's portraits in Fraser's, numbering some eighty in all, constituted one of the chief attractions of the magazine in its early days. The collector's mark in the bottom left-hand corner of the NPG water-colour is that of Sir William Drake (Lugt 796). Other Maclise drawings of Jerdan and Praed (NPG 3028 and 3030) were presented at the same time as this one. Dunlop also appears in Maclise's engraving of 'The Fraserians', published Fraser's Magazine, XI (January 1835), between 2 and 3, for which there are two pencil studies in the Victoria and Albert Museum. No other portraits of him are recorded.

Physical descriptionback to top

Brown hair. Grey suit; white shirt.

Provenanceback to top

Presumably Maclise Sale, Christie's, 24 June 1870 (lot 66); Sir William Drake; Drake Sale, Christie's, 24 May 1892 (lot 204) M. H. Spielmann, presented by him, 1939.


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.

View all known portraits for Daniel Maclise