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Sir Robert McClure

3 of 5 portraits matching these criteria:

- place 'Arctic'

Sir Robert McClure, by Stephen Pearce, 1855 -NPG 1210 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Sir Robert McClure

by Stephen Pearce
1855
50 1/8 in. x 40 in. (1273 mm x 1016 mm)
NPG 1210

This portraitback to top

McClure is shown in the costume he wore on his Arctic expedition, 1850-4, set against an idealized polar landscape. The portrait was engraved by J. Scott, published H. Graves (example in NPG), the engraving dedicated to Queen Victoria; it was also engraved by J. H. Baker, published Longman (example in NPG). This is the only recorded portrait of McClure.

Referenceback to top

Art Journal (1855), p 174.

Pearce 1903
S. Pearce, Memories of the Past (1903), pp 69-70.

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and whiskers. Dressed in a white shirt, dark stock, black and white check scarf, heavy white jacket, with canvas gun-bag and strap, leather gun-straps and gun, leather-covered telescope, dark trousers, and black fur-lined gloves. Greenish-white landscape at left, and seascape at right. Background sky of whitish-grey and dark grey tones.

Provenanceback to top

Commissioned or purchased by Colonel John Barrow, and bequeathed to him, 1899.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA, 1855 (236); Art Treasures of the United Kingdom, Manchester, 1857, 'Modern Masters' (485); Royal Naval Exhibition, Chelsea, 1891 (43); Pageant of Canada, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1967-8 (153), reproduced in catalogue.

Reproductionsback to top

S. Pearce, Memories of the Past (1903), facing p 68.


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 Stephen Pearce