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Notes

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A poet and man of letters, Southey was a youthful republican whose enthusiasm for the French Revolution can be seen in 'The Fall of Robespierre' which he wrote with Coleridge in 1794. In 1803, he joined Coleridge in the Lake District where he met Wordsworth. The three were dubbed the 'Lake School' by the critic Francis Jeffrey. Southey was Poet Laureate from 1813 to his death. Despite Byron's quip about his 'blank verse and blanker prose', his prose is commonly regarded as superior to his poetry. He wrote numerous essays and reviews for the periodical press. His association with the Tory 'Quarterly Review' signalled the beginning of his role as a spokesman for the conservative establishment.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

Robert Southey (1774–1843)

Date

1845

Medium

marble

Measurements

H 78.7 x W (?) x D (?) cm

Accession number

841

Acquisition method

bequeathed by the sitter's niece, Miss Emma Southey, 1890

Work type

Bust

Inscription description

incised and dated

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National Portrait Gallery, London

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

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Artist or maker

John Graham Lough

1798–1876

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