William Harrison Ainsworth

Daniel Maclise painted William Harrison Ainsworth around 1834, depicting the historical novelist whose enormously popular works — Rookwood (1834), Jack Sheppard (1839) — made him a major figure in Victorian popular culture alongside Dickens. Maclise was a prolific portraitist of literary figures, his connection to the Fraser's Magazine circle giving him access to the leading writers of the 1830s. His portrait of Ainsworth captures the romantic literary persona that the historical novelist cultivated, the dark, brooding appearance suited to the Gothic and criminal subjects of his fiction.

Maclise renders Ainsworth with fashionable elegance and careful characterization, using warm tones and polished technique. The portrait captures the Romantic self-presentation of the literary world, with the sitter's theatrical pose reflecting his role as a public figure.