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George Eliot

Frederic William Burton (1816–1900)

National Portrait Gallery, London

George Eliot

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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i

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Eliot, George

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Notes

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This chalk portrait shows Eliot in her mid-forties. Burton was a close friend of Eliot’s which may account for the closely-cropped, full-frontal and altogether more intimate portrayal of her face. Unlike her reaction to other portraits, particularly photographs, Eliot seems not to have recoiled from Burton’s image or the process of sitting to him, taking an interest in how the portrait developed over the course of a year. In December 1865, she told the artist D'Albert Durade that her friends considered it 'a remarkably fine portrait of me' and that she had agreed to its translation by the etcher, Paul Rajon. In 1867, she was even content for Burton to exhibit the portrait at the Royal Academy of Arts. It was later engraved.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

George Eliot

Date

1865

Medium

chalk on paper

Measurements

H 51.4 x W 38.1 cm

Accession number

669

Acquisition method

gift from the sitter's husband and Charles Lee Lewes, 1883

Work type

Drawing

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National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
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Artist or maker

Frederic William Burton

1816–1900

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