Adam Sedgwick

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated in ink (bottom left): Aug^t Edouart fecit 1828
Inscribed in pencil in Dr W. T. Bayne's hand (bottom centre and right): Adam Sedgwick. Professor of Geology. Cambridge

This portraitback to top

A similar but not identical silhouette (unsigned) is in the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge, reproduced J. W. Clark and T. M. Hughes, The Life and Letters of Adam Sedgwick (1890), I, 310. [1] They wrote of it (309): 'It gives a good general notion of his dress and figure [in his office of senior proctor at Cambridge], as he may have stood, watch in hand to announce to those who were being examined, that the clock was about to strike, and that they must fold up their papers.' A third signed version of the silhouette is in the collection of Major W. Sedgwick Rough.

Footnotesback to top

1) According to Clark and Hughes, 309n, this was presented to the Registry of the University by the Rev J. Romilly, and was subsequently transferred to the Sedgwick Museum. The Cambridge Chronicle of 29 February 1828 wrote: 'Monsieur Edouart, whose arrival was announced last week, has already met with a considerable patronage from the gentlemen of the University.' I would like to thank the staff of the Sedgwick Museum for their help.

Referenceback to top

NPG Annual Report, 1966-7 (1967), pp 33-4.

Provenanceback to top

Given by the sitter to George Pryme, professor of political economy at Cambridge; by descent to his grandson, Dr. W. T. Bayne; by descent to the latter's grandson, R. L. Bayne-Powell, and sold by him, Sotheby's, 25 July 1966 (lot 27), from where purchased by the gallery.<sup>1

1</sup> Information on provenance kindly communicated by last owner, 1971.



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 Adam Sedgwick