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Christopher Anstey and his daughter Mary Ann

1 of 4 portraits of Christopher Anstey

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© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Christopher Anstey and his daughter Mary Ann

by William Hoare
oil on canvas, circa 1776
49 3/4 in. x 39 3/4 in. (1265 mm x 1010 mm)
Bequeathed by Caroline Mary Sambourne-Palmer (née Anstey), 1940
Primary Collection
NPG 3084

On display in Room 18 on Floor 3 at the National Portrait Gallery

Sittersback to top

Artistback to top

  • William Hoare (1707-1792), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 74 portraits, Sitter in 6 portraits.

This portraitback to top

He is shown here with one of his four daughters who playfully tries to distract him from his work. Her toy is actually a fashion doll like those sent from Paris to guide dressmakers in the latest styles. Its towering feathered hair-style is clearly meant to recall Anstey's satire of such extremes of modern female fashion.

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Events of 1776back to top

Current affairs

Tahitian visitor to London Omai returns home with Captain James Cook on his third voyage. During his two-year stay he inspired a play and was painted by Joshua Reynolds.
Member of Parliament David Hartley unsuccessfully introduces a motion to the House of Commons calling for the abolition of the slave trade.

Art and science

Edward Gibbon produces the first volume of his monumental The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Artist John Constable is born.
Scottish economist Adam Smith analyses the nature and causes of prosperity in his magnum opus The Wealth of Nations.

International

American War of Independence: George Washington raises a new American flag on Prospect Hill, Boston. In an anonymous pamphlet entitled Common Sense, English immigrant Thomas Paine is the first to argue that the American colonies should be independent. Declaration of American Independence on 4 July.

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