“William Wilberforce (1759-1833)” by George Richmond, RA (1809-1896)

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William Wilberforce (1759-1833)

George Richmond, RA (1809-1896)

1833

Watercolour

17 1/4 in. x 13 in. (438 mm x 330 mm)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Here is the great Evangelical abolitionist who, as the son of a monied Hull merchant, had pursued a political career and had been MP for Hull since 1780, right up until 1825. But he sat for George Richmond in the last year of his life, when his always poor health was further deteriorating.

Formatting and text by Jacqueline Banerjee. [Commentary continues below. Mouse over the text for links and click on the image to enlarge it.]

A full-length portrait of Wilberforce, even when he was sitting, must have represented quite a challenge to Richmond. William Hague describes Wilberforce as having been a "discouragingly small and fragile child" (4), and, even in young manhood, "[u]unprepossessing ... only five feet four inches tall, with an eyeglass on a ribbon" (23). By now, suffering from curvature of the spine, he must have looked even shorter. He also had to wear a leather-covered steel girdle, which accounts for his awkward sitting posture (see Hague 402. and "This Portrait"). Nevertheless, Richmond suggests in his portrait that Wilberforce indeed possessed the qualities that he thought a Christian should possess, "cheerfulness, kindness, and placability, with a secret guard and hidden seriousness" (qtd. in Hague 263).

Related Material

The Anti-Slavery Campaign in Britain

Sources

Hague, William. William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner<'span>. London: HarperCollins, 2008.

"William Wilberforce: This Portrait." National Portrait Gallery. Web. 1 March 2016.

Created 1 March 2016