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Edward Fitzgerald

1 of 4 portraits of Edward Fitzgerald

Edward Fitzgerald, by Eva Mary Bernard (née Orr), Lady Rivett-Carnac; Unknown photographer, late 19th century, based on a work of 1873 -NPG 1342 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Edward Fitzgerald

by Eva Mary Bernard (née Orr), Lady Rivett-Carnac, after a photograph by Unknown photographer
late 19th century, based on a work of 1873
2 1/2 in. x 2 in. (64 mm x 51 mm) oval
NPG 1342

Inscriptionback to top

Signed (centre right): E.R-C

This portraitback to top

This miniature is based on one of three photographs taken by Cade and Whiten of Ipswich in 1873. FitzGerald wrote about them to Mrs Browne on 17 November 1873:

'The Artist always makes three views; but I couldn't face the light of the Machine, so my lovely full face was all blurred: and only a side face, and a looking down one, came out. They are so good-looking (comparatively) that upon my honour I shd never have guessed they were meant for me; and I really do not believe that any one else would.' [1]
There is an anonymous engraving after the 'side face' photograph (used by Lady Rivett-Carnac), and another, after the 'looking down one', was published R. Bentley, 1895 (examples in NPG). The latter was also engraved for the Letters and Literary Remains of Edward FitzGerald, edited W. A. Wright (1903-7), I, frontispiece. Mrs Orr was the great-granddaughter of George Crabbe the poet, and the niece of the Rev George Crabbe, in whose home FitzGerald died. Lady Rivett-Carnac was the daughter of James Orr, and the wife of Sir George Rivett-Carnac, 6th Bart, whose first wife was Emily, daughter of the Rev George Crabbe [2]. Mrs Orr wrote about the miniature (letter of 9 March 1903, NPG archives):

'E. F. G. never had his miniature painted from life - but Mrs Rivett-Carnac had her aunt Miss Mary Crabbe to help her in her work by describing exactly his colouring & expression and I do think it is well done and a perfect likeness.'
Miss Mary Crabbe, of Brighton, also provided the photograph from which the miniature is copied.

Footnotesback to top

1) From an unpublished letter in the possession of Peter Kenworthy Browne, quoted in F. Miles, 'Samuel Laurence' (typescript copy, NPG library).
2) Information provided by Mrs Orr in an interview at the NPG, 2 March 1903. She does not state her exact relationship to Lady Rivett-Carnac or to Miss Mary Crabbe.

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue eyes, greyish hair. Dressed in a white shirt, black stock, brown coat with velvet collar. Background colour greyish-green, heightened with mauve.

Provenanceback to top

Mrs Alice Maud Orr, purchased from her, 1903.


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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