“Harriet Martineau” by George Richmond, RA (1809-1896)

Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)

George Richmond, RA (1809-1896)

1849

Chalk

24 5/8 in. x 18 5/8 in. (626 mm x 473 mm)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Bequeathed by the sitter's niece, Miss Emily Higginson, 1917

Harriet Martineau looks remarkably well here for a woman who had been an invalid for over five years in her in thirties, suffering from what the doctors had considered to be an incurable illness. She had been helped by mesmerism, and had written about her experiences of both illness and cure in Life in the Sick-room: Essays by an Invalid (1844), and Letters on Mesmerism (1845). She was now enjoying the most active years of her life. [Commentary continues below. Mouse over the text for links, and click on the picture to enlarge it.]

Martineau's early biographer, Florence Miller, tells us that

[t]he most noticeable peculiarity of the face is found in a slight projection of the under lip. The nose is straight, not at all turned up at the end, but yet with a definite tip to it. The eyes are a clear gray, with a calm, steadfast, yet sweet gaze; indeed there is an almost appealing look in them. The hair is of so dark a brown as to appear nearly black.... [134]

She admits that Martineau was "certainly not beautiful; besides the slight projection of the lower lip the face has the defect of the cheeks sloping in too much towards the chin. But she was not strikingly plain either" (135). Richmond had the knack of choosing the best angle for the face (here, of course, full face, but turned slightly to the side) and softening the composition with white chalk highlights, in this case producing a shine on her dark hair. Having her wear her lacy bonnet was particularly important, because it gives a feminine frame for features rather lacking in delicacy. — Jacqueline Banerjee.

Related Material

Harriet Martineau: A Radical Liberal Social Commentator

Source

Miller, Florence Fenwick. Harriet Martineau. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1887. Internet Archive. Web. 29 February 2016.

Created 29 February 2016