William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry
- Overview
- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry
attributed to John Opie
oil on canvas, 1785-1790
30 1/8 in. x 24 7/8 in. (765 mm x 632 mm)
Given by Frederic K. Huber, 1971
Primary Collection
NPG 4849
Sitterback to top
- William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry (1724-1810), Rake and patron of the turf. Sitter associated with 12 portraits.
Artistback to top
- John Opie (1761-1807), Portrait and history painter. Artist or producer associated with 151 portraits, Sitter in 13 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 509
- Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 404
Events of 1785back to top
Current affairs
George Prince of Wales secretly marries his mistress Maria Fitzherbert in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.Prime Minister William Pitt introduces a bill proposing parliamentary reform and the abolition of 'rotten boroughs' but is defeated.
Art and science
William Cowper publishes his best -known poem The Task.James Boswell publishes The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, narrating his travels with the late writer Samuel Johnson.
Physician and naturalist James Hutton presents his studies of local rocks to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, launching the era of scientific geology.
International
Warren Hastings resigns as Governor-General of Bengal and returns to England. His trial begins on charges of corruption in the administration of India.French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon crosses the Atlantic to sculpt a statue of George Washington.
British government establishes a permanent land force in the Eastern Caribbean, based in Barbados.
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