Wm. Smith O'Brien.

PrinterPrinted by Kelloggs & Comstock American, 1848 - 1850

PublisherPublished by D. Needham American, 1808 - 1888

Date1848

MediumLithography; printer's ink and watercolor on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 11 15/16 x 8 5/8in. (30.3 x 21.9cm)
Sheet (height x width): 14 x 10in. (35.6 x 25.4cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineMuseum purchase

DescriptionThree-quarter-length portrait of a man wearing a coat, vest, shirt and tie. He stands beside a table with a tablecloth, holding a book. A roll of paper is on the table. A building with a portico supported by Ionic columns is visible through an open window in the right background. A fluted column is in the left background. Fringed drapery is above the man's head.

Object number1994.36.4

InscribedLithographed title beneath image: "WM. SMITH O'BRIEN. / 120." Inscribed in pencil, lower left: "a85434 / 2--". Accession number inscribed on verso, lower right.NotesSubject Note: The Irish patriot William Smith O'Brien was born in Dromoland, County Clare on October 17, 1803. He served as a member of Parliament beginning in the 1820s. In the late 1840s, he became active seeking relief from the hardships of the potato famine. In 1848, he urged the formation of a National Guard and an armed uprising was planned. At the end of July, following a clash with police, he was arrested and brought to trial. He was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to hang, but his sentence was commuted to transportation for life. After five years of exile in Tasmania, he was pardoned and returned to Europe. He died at Bangor, in Wales, on 16 June 1864.

Subject Terms