Daniel O'Connell

Daniel O’Connell, the “Liberator,” was the dominant figure in Irish politics during the 1830s, having won Catholic Emancipation in 1829. Hayter’s 1834 portrait in the National Portrait Gallery captures O’Connell during his years as MP for Dublin, when his presence in the House of Commons electrified British politics. The Irish leader’s imposing physical presence and oratorical power made him a compelling portrait subject. George Hayter was the preeminent British history and portrait painter of the early Victorian era, appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary to Queen Victoria in 1841.

Hayter renders O’Connell’s large, commanding features with the directness appropriate to a populist leader, avoiding the aristocratic polish he applied to titled sitters.