ARTWORKS

Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859)

John Steell (1804–1891)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859)

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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At 17, de Quincey ran away from Manchester Grammar School and spent five months penniless on the streets of London, an episode recorded in his best-known work, 'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater' of 1821. He entered Oxford in 1804, but left without taking his degree. De Quincey moved to the Lake District to be near his two literary idols, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Initially close friends, he became estranged from both men and, in 1813, he became dependent on opium. Following the success of his confessions, he produced over 200 magazine articles on topics ranging from philosophy and history to economics, literary criticism and politics.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

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Title

Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859)

Date

1875

Medium

plaster

Measurements

H 66.7 x W (?) x D (?) cm

Accession number

822

Acquisition method

donated by William Bell Scott, 1889

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 Steell

1804–1891

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