Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
- Artist: John Jabez Edwin Mayall
- Date: 1860
- Medium: albumen carte-de-visite
- Dimensions: 3 1/2 in. x 2 1/4 in. (89 mm x 57 mm) image size
- Portrays: Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
Here before you is a tiny albumen carte‑de‑visite from the early 1860s, photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. The image shows Anthony Ashley‑Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, in profile. He looks straight on, his face set into that calm, bookish expression he often wore when speaking about reform. Note his eyes and the fine lines around them; they hint at a man who spent years fighting for better work hours, safer mines and improved asylum care.
Mayall captured him in crisp silver tonality, typical of albumen prints. The tiny frame, just 89 × 57 mm, makes the portrait intimate—like a personal letter from that era. It reminds us how early photography could serve as both art and documentary record of a public figure.
See it in person
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
