Mary Ann Hunter

(1752?-1777)

The Artist

Mary Ann Hunter - Portrait of George Cleghorn

Mary Anne Hunter (sometimes known as Marianne or Maria) was a portrait painter working in late eighteenth-century Ireland. She first exhibited her work publicly at the Society of Artists exhibition in Dublin in 1765, aged just thirteen. Hunter went on to be a regular exhibitor for several years. She was awarded a Premium (a grant) from the Dublin Society, now the Royal Dublin Society, for four of her portraits.

Like many women seeking a career in painting at this time, Hunter was limited in her options for professional training.

Women were not admitted to the Dublin Society’s drawing school until 1849 when it was merged with the Department of Science and Art, South Kensington, London. The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) only admitted women as students from 1893.

It is likely that Hunter’s main education as an artist came from her father, the portraitist Robert Hunter (fl. 1752–1803). In December 1774, Hunter married another painter, John Trotter (1740–92) and exhibited under her married name. Their two daughters, M. Trotter (fl. c. 1809–15) and Eliza H. Trotter (fl. 1800–1814) also became artists.

The Sitter

This portrait was gifted to the College in 1869 as a portrait of the Scottish anatomist William Hunter (1718-1783). Recent research has shown that this is incorrect and the portrait is of George Cleghorn (1716–1789).

It seems possible that the misidentification was caused by the artist’s surname being transposed to that of the sitter.

The true identity is based on comparisons with other works and clues in the work itself, including the title of the book on the table. Cleghorn was the first Professor of Anatomy in Trinity and an Honorary Fellow of this College. In 1768, Cleghorn received an honorary degree from Trinity, the portrait was painted the same year.