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Mary Ann Paton (Mrs Wood)

1 of 21 portraits of Mary Ann Paton (Mrs Wood)

Mary Ann Paton (Mrs Wood), by Thomas Sully, 1836 -NPG 1351 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Mary Ann Paton (Mrs Wood)

by Thomas Sully
1836
24 in. x 19 7/8 in. (610 mm x 505 mm)
NPG 1351

Inscriptionback to top

There is a Rowney label on the back of the board.

This portraitback to top

This painting was begun in Philadelphia on 11 March 1836, and finished on 5 August. It is a study for the large painting of Mary Ann Wood in the Royal College of Music, London, representing her as Amina in the last scene of the opera 'La Sonnambula' (Biddle and Fielding, 2000); this also dates from 1836, and was presented by Robert Wood, the sitter's son. It has recently been restored. Sully painted other portraits of Mary Ann Wood, including one for his own collection (head, 1836, Biddle and Fielding, 1999), and a copy of a portrait by his son-in-law, John Neagle (head and shoulders, 1836, Biddle and Fielding, 2002). The original Neagle, showing Mary Ann Wood as Amina, was with Hirschl and Adler, 1971, and a replica of 1848 is in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Sully's copy was in the collection of W. McHale, Cleveland, 1921.

Referenceback to top

Biddle and Fielding 2001
E. Biddle and M. Fielding, The Life and Works of Thomas Sully (Philadelphia, 1921), p 323 (2001).

Hart 1900
C. H. Hart, A Register of Portraits Painted by Thomas Sully (Philadelphia, 1909), p 183 (1900).

Physical descriptionback to top

Clear complexion, grey eyes, dark brown hair. The hands are unfinished. Background colour brown and greenish-brown.

Provenanceback to top

Presented by Robert Wood, 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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