- Artist
- John Opie 1761–1807
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 759 × 638 mm
frame: 1005 × 875 × 130 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased 1884
- Reference
- N01167
Display caption
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was a ground-breaking feminist. This portrait shows her in a pose more typically used for male sitters during this period. She looks directly towards us, momentarily distracted from her studies. The painting was made around the time she published A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792). Wollstonecraft argued against the idea that women were naturally inferior to men and emphasised the importance of equal education. Her radical views on liberty and equality led her to support the French Revolution (1789–99).
Gallery label, September 2023
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