Harriet Martineau
- Artist: Richard Evans
- Date: 1834
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 50 1/4 in. x 40 1/8 in. (1276 mm x 1019 mm)
- Portrays: Harriet Martineau
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This oil on canvas shows Harriet Martineau in her early thirties. The painter, Richard Evans, places her against a dark background that keeps the focus on her face and hands. She wears fine jewelry—pearls, rings and a brooch—visible on her wrist and neck, lending the portrait its graceful detail. Evans captures her thoughtful expression, hinting at her mind’s busy activity. As a political economist and writer, Martineau was one of the few women of her time to speak publicly on slavery, education and society. Her painted likeness was first exhibited in 1834 and later acquired by the gallery in 1897.
See it in person
Harriet Martineau is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
