John Gay
1 portrait by George Bickham the Elder
© National Portrait Gallery, London
John Gay
by George Bickham the Elder, after William Aikman
line engraving, published 1729
8 3/8 in. x 6 7/8 in. (214 mm x 176 mm) plate size; 8 7/8 in. x 7 1/8 in. (225 mm x 182 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D2752
Artistsback to top
- William Aikman (1682-1731), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 29 portraits.
- George Bickham the Elder (1683 or 1684-1758). Artist or producer associated with 11 portraits.
Events of 1729back to top
Current affairs
Committee of the House of Commons appointed to enquire into the state of Britain's gaols.Opening of the first Putney Bridge; the only fixed crossing of the River Thames between London Bridge and Kingston Bridge at the time.
Tornado destroys buildings in Sussex and Kent
Art and science
Chiswick House in London, a pioneering example of English Palladian revival architecture, is designed by its owner Richard Boyle with the help of the architect William Kent.Jonathan Swift publishes A Modest Proposal; a satirical attack on attitudes towards the poor and Irish policy more generally.
International
Benjamin Franklin prints, publishes and largely writes the weekly Pennsylvania Gazette, which soon becomes the most successful newspaper in the colonies.Treaty of Seville seals peace between Britain and Spain.
King Frederick IV of Denmark charters the Danish East India Company.
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