SIZE
3 1/2 x 4 1/2” (Image)

DESCRIPTION

Old pulpy paper is meticulously and precisely inset in a different type of paper. Was this original or some sort of super-human curatorial effort? I’m not certain.

Honora Sneyd was an esteemed 18th century writer and educator; a protege of the poet and scholar Anna Seward as well as esteemed figure in the English society. She was briefly engaged to Major John Andre— (brief because he was hung during the Revolutionary war as a co-conspirator with Benedict Arnold). She eventually married politician/writer/inventor Richard Edgeworth. That was short-lived as she died at age 28. Edgeworth went on to have 4 wives (one of whom was Honora’s sister) and he fathered 22 children. There are probably thousands of his descendants all over the planet.

check out Honora’s Wiki page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honora_Sneyd

One of the few examples of this Hopwood rendering is in the National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG D10675). (v., https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp59939/honora-edgeworth-nee-sneyd). I think there is another one somewhere in Scotland.

After slogging through all of the above verbiage there is a back story. Lets start with the fact that the Hopkins print shown in the Wikipedia page for Mrs Sneyd is BS and someone should advise them to amend their information. Unbeknownst to Hopkins it has recently come to light that the subject here is not actually Mrs Sneyd but was derived from another 18th century painting by George Romney of the heroine of a poem called “Triumphs of Temper” by George Hayley. The actual Romney painting is called “Serena Reading.” But the actual woman is probably Charlotte Bettesworth Sargent, (1755-1841) wife of Parlementarian John Sargent from Kent. You can check out one of several versions of this painting if you should ever happen to get to the Victoria and Albert Museum. (I’ve posted one herein if you cant.)

There are even more back stories to this print. But I don’t have time to write a dissertation on this subject. I will say its a really fine and super rare little engraving and the buyer can have hours of fun researching it’s etymology.

CONDITION
Very good. It wants to be properly matted and framed. See Photos.

(Please call shop for questions or in-hand condition report)

SOLD

There’s still no sales tax for items shipped outside Missouri