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George Romney (1734-1802) John Howard visiting a prison pen and ink and wash on paper 29 x 52cm Provenance: [By repute and according to a label to the reverse: Collection of Alfred de Pass (1861-1952); Royal Institution of Truro by 1961; Sotheby's, where acquired by Agnew's by 1966] Exhibited: Kenwood, George Romney, Paintings and Drawings: Exhibition at the Iveagh Bequest, 1961, when loaned by Royal Institution Truro; Agnew's, French and English Drawings 1780-1965, 1966 The present drawing is one of a series on the subject of John Howard visiting a Lazaretto which captured Romney’s imagination over several years and recorded the suffering of prisoners. A philanthropist and social reformer, John Howard (1726-1790) had experienced captivity in 1756 when on board a ship taken by a French privateer where all the passengers and crew had been imprisoned in dreadful conditions. From circa 1773 onwards, he carried out inspections of prisons and lazarettos (plague hospitals) throughout Britain and Europe. He campaigned for the humane treatment of inmates and in 1777 published his first report - The State of Prisons in England and Wales. Romney was inspired by Howard’s heroism and initially planned to paint ‘two or three large pictures’ of prison scenes, according to his son John (see Patricia Jaffé, Drawings by George Romney from the Fitzwilliam Museum, 1977, pp. 58-59). The paintings however never materialised and instead Romney captured the subject in a series of studies and sketches depicting figures in dungeon-like prisons, which according to Patricia Jaffé can be interpreted as ‘generalised pictures of the miseries of pestilence ridden lazarettos’ (ibid, p. 58). It has been suggested that the crouching figure at the back of the scene looking on bears some resemblance to Romney himself. Not examined out of frame. Some creasing visible along the left and right hand edges. Small diagonal crease in bottom right corner. Light surface dirt under glass. Framed 50.5 x 72cm

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