In Tate Britain
Spotlights: John Opie
Free entry- Artist
- John Opie 1761–1807
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 759 x 638 mm
frame: 1005 x 875 x 130 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased 1884
- Reference
- N01167
Display caption
Wollstonecraft was a ground-breaking feminist. This portrait shows her looking directly towards us, temporarily distracted from her studies. Such a pose would more typically be used for a male sitter. Women would normally be presented as more passive, often gazing away from the viewer. The painting dates to around the time she published A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792). This argued against the idea that women were naturally inferior to men and emphasised the importance of education.
Gallery label, October 2019
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