Thomas Otway
3 of 9 portraits of Thomas Otway
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Thomas Otway
by Jacobus Houbraken, published by John & Paul Knapton, after Mary Beale
line engraving, 1741
14 3/4 in. x 9 3/8 in. (375 mm x 237 mm) plate size; 20 5/8 in. x 13 1/2 in. (525 mm x 343 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D39391
Artistsback to top
- Mary Beale (1633-1699), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 53 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.
- Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 435 portraits.
- John & Paul Knapton (active 1735-1789), Booksellers and publishers. Artist or producer associated with 290 portraits.
Related worksback to top
- NPG D19328: Thomas Otway (from same plate)
- NPG D39390: Thomas Otway (from same plate)
- NPG D42926: Thomas Otway (from same plate)
Events of 1741back to top
Current affairs
Motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Robert Walpole is followed by a general election. Walpole's majority is reduced to less than twenty and he suffers defeat in seven divisions.Opening of the Foundling Hospital, London, to aid homeless and abandoned children.
Art and science
Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is appointed head gardener at Stowe, where he works with the architect William Kent.Actor David Garrick makes his debut on the London stage in Richard III.
Henry Fielding publishes An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews satirising Samuel Richardson's best-selling novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.
International
War of the Austrian Succession: Admiral Edward Vernon leads an unsuccessful attack on Spanish stronghold of Cartagena. Frederick II's Prussian army defeats the Austrians at Mollwitz, securing his hold on most of Silesia. French and Bavarian forces enter Prague.Composer Johann Sebastian Bach publishes his set of Goldberg Variations, supposedly written for performance by the young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg.
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