Portraits of Kitty Hunter
Portraits of
Kitty Hunter
(born 1740, died 1795).
Kitty Hunter, c. early 1760s.
In exotic costume. Presumably for a fancy dress ball, rather than a play.
"Miss Hunter", thought to be Kitty.
Note same earrings as
E.F. Calze portrait.
Engraving by Richard Purcell
(alias "Charles Corbutt", alias "Philip Corbutt"),
after portrait by "G. Wilson" (unidentified painter).
From
NPG.
See
larger
and
full size.
Kitty Hunter.
Engraving 1771 by
Valentine Green,
after earlier portrait by E.F. Calze (pseudonym of Edward Francis Cunningham).
From
NPG.
See
larger
and
full size.
Painting, probably around 1762, showing Kitty Hunter disguised as a boy groom.
Painted by
David Morier (died 1770).
On left, standing, is Kitty Hunter, dressed in white as a boy.
[PP, vol.1, opposite p.32]
says the two mounted figures are
Sir John Floyd, 1st Baronet (cr 1816)
and an unknown officer.
Another source says the two mounted figures are
10th Earl of Pembroke and John Floyd.
From Wilton House.
Used with permission of Wilton House and Earl of Pembroke.
See
full size.
From
John Floyd entry
at britishempire.co.uk.
Kitty Hunter.
Detail from the above.
-
Raymond Crawfurd has a theory
that this standing figure is not Kitty. He thought she might have been in the saddle
and it has been painted over.
-
But looking at the picture in real life close-up at Wilton does not show any evidence of having been painted over.
And the standing figure has a ribbon in her hair.
It does look like Kitty.
This is labelled by the National Trust as
Kitty Hunter in 1780 (she would be age 40).
But she looks too old, and there is now doubt as to where this identification comes from. See below.
Portrait thought to be by
Nathaniel Hone the Elder.
Hangs at
Ickworth House.
Inscribed on the back is artist and date:
Either:
"N.Hone pinx 1780",
or:
"Nathaniel Hone pinxit R.A./1780".
Both mean that Nathaniel Hone, member of Royal Academy of Arts, painted it in 1780.
But there is now doubt as to where this inscription comes from. See below.
From
National Trust.
See
full size.
Also
here
and
here.
Close-up of the miniature she is holding, rotated.
Identification as Kitty is probably wrong
The picture's identification as Kitty Hunter seems recent, and probably wrong.
Discussion follows.
The picture is clearly
picture no.163
in a 1908 list of portraits at Ickworth.
From
p.229
of
[Farrer, 1908].
"H.L." means half-length figure.
"M" means medium size.
- 1908 inventory discussion:
-
The National Trust
says this picture is picture no.163 in Farrer's list of 1908.
And it clearly is.
Look at the description of the picture in no.163.
Everything about the description is identical.
It is definitely this picture.
-
There is a problem though: If "Nathaniel Hone" and "1780" are written on the back,
then why does this entry say "c.1790" and not have "By Nathaniel Hone"?
The only conclusion is that "Nathaniel Hone" and "1780" were written later, after 1908, and may be wrong.
- We also note no mention of Kitty Hunter in 1908.
- 1952 inventory:
- A 1952 inventory of Ickworth pictures was done by Christie's,
as part of the process of transferring the collection to the National Trust.
This recorded:
"Room No.14. Nathaniel Hone, R.A. £25.
(163) Portrait of a Lady in grey dress, with white mob cap, holding a
miniature."
- So now we see the artist named as Nathaniel Hone, but no date.
This suggests the "Nathaniel Hone" and "1780" inscription was written on it later, after 1952.
- We also note no mention of Kitty Hunter in 1952.
- Kitty is unproven:
- The National Trust was queried about the source of this identification as Kitty.
Alice Rylance-Watson
of the National Trust
researched it,
and said (on email in 2022)
that identification as Kitty might have been an assumption
someone in the National Trust made some time after 1952,
given her connection to Ickworth.
Ickworth has a portrait of her son.
-
The National Trust website
has not changed, and still says Kitty Hunter, but Rylance-Watson agrees the identification
is not proven.
- Given the doubt over the identification, its apparent recent origin,
and given the age of the woman,
I think it is probably not Kitty.
Maybe irrelevant - "Mrs. A. Clarke" portrait
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
has the following
"Presumed Portrait of Mrs. A. Clarke".
They do not say who "A. Clarke" is.
There is no further information about who they mean.
I wonder is it Kitty Hunter.
Though
I have not found any claim that it is.
This is pure speculation by me.
"Presumed Portrait of Mrs. A. Clarke".
Portrait by
Daniel Gardner.
See
full size.
From
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
