John Opie

Mary Wollstonecraft (Mrs William Godwin)

c.1790–1

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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

The pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft is shown as though distracted momentarily from her studies. The sombre colours of her costume and the cloistered, darkened setting convey a sense of seriousness Iand dedication.

Painting a woman in such a role would have been more controversial in an earlier age. It was generally thought that only wealthy men could possess intellectual power. By stressing universal human values, Sensibility inadvertently helped pave the way for claims that women – at least middle-class women – might have as much moral and mental strength as men.

Gallery label, September 2004

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