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The Museum Gazette 



PORTRAITS OF COBBETT. 



We give this month a second portrait of Cobbett, but the 

 following comments apply only to the one at p. 274 of last 

 month's Gazette. The two do not, however, differ materially 

 as to features ; our second displays accessories in dress which 

 are not uninstructive (see Frontispiece). 



Cobbett's portrait is one not easy of analysis, and his face 

 alone would not have readily lent itself to the caricaturist. 



Expression. — Pleasing and genial, with sense of humour, but 

 not without considerable self-satisfaction. 



Features. — Face, a rather short oval with rather full cheeks. 

 Forehead rounded, and of good dimensions. Nose average, 

 mouth small, chin rather small and pointed. The whole is 

 symmetrical and well-balanced. 



Accessories. — There are none of importance. 



Resulting Diagnosis. — A respectable, able and honest English- 

 man of no very marked character. He might be a country 

 doctor of the last century. Not strikingly like any other 

 known portrait in our memory. 



Our National Portrait Gallery does not contain any repre- 

 sentation of Cobbett, either picture or engraving. 



No one to whom our portrait has been shown has offered 

 any suggestion as to the character of the man whom it repre- 

 sents. " A common but not commonplace face, an able man, 

 but without any special indications of proclivity," has been 

 the usual remark. No one has ventured any guess as to the 

 name. Nor is this vagueness other than what Cobbett's real 

 character might lead us to expect in his face. An intensely 

 human man ; taking keen pleasure in life ; full alike of sym- 

 pathy and of prejudice ; changeable in opinion, but always 

 certain that he was in the right ; loving conflict and contro- 

 versy, but delighting also in country pleasures and his own 

 fireside. 



