William Dowton
1 portrait of William Dowton
© National Portrait Gallery, London
William Dowton
by William Ridley, published by Vernor & Hood
stipple engraving, published 31 May 1804
6 3/8 in. x 4 1/2 in. (163 mm x 113 mm) plate size; 8 5/8 in. x 5 1/8 in. (218 mm x 130 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D9310
Artistsback to top
- William Ridley (1764-1838), Stipple engraver. Artist or producer associated with 126 portraits.
- Vernor & Hood (active 1794-1806), Publishers. Artist or producer associated with 60 portraits.
Events of 1804back to top
Current affairs
William Pitt returns to office and forms a second coalition administration, retaining many of those who had served under his predecessor Henry Addington but specifically excluding his arch rival Charles James Fox .Art and science
William Blake starts writing Jerusalem. One of his most ambitious allegorical poems, it took nearly eight years to complete.Amidst infighting about submissions to the annual exhibition, attempts are made to unseat painter Benjamin West as President of the Royal Academy and elect architect James Wyatt instead.
International
Napoleon declares himself Emperor of France and is crowned as Napoleon I by Pope Pius VII in Paris.Haiti achieves independence led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, the patriot and martyr who had seized control from the French in 1801. He becomes a symbolic figure of freedom for the British anti-slavery movement.
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