Robert Horn and the Herdman Portrait of Carlyle: An Unpublished Correspondence

Abstract

Presents the history of the Robert Herdman portrait, Carlyle’s favorite among the four major ones painted during his lifetime. Describes an unnoted episode in the private life of Carlyle during 1875. Using unpublished letters in the National Library of Scotland, explains the involvement of Robert Horn in commissioning the portrait, which is now lost, a circumstance that helps explain subsequent disregard for the work. Notes the portrait by Herdman on display in the Carlyle House in London is one of two copies made by the artist.