Charles John Kean

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed below the drawing in ink: "What, does the aspiring blood of Lancaster sink/i' th' ground, I thought it would have mounted"

This portraitback to top

This drawing also represents Kean as Richard III.

Physical descriptionback to top

In both water-colours, Kean is dressed in a black cap, red and brown garment and brown tights. The other figure in the second drawing is dressed in purple and white.

Provenanceback to top

The Clerk Family; by descent to Miss Clerk, and presented by her, 1935.


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 Charles John Kean