Portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft

What it is

This is a portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft painted by the artist John Opie. A reproduction of the painting is held by the Archive of the German Women's Movement in Germany. It shows Wollstonecraft holding a book, with a quill pen nearby.

Why it matters

Portraits like this shaped how later generations pictured Wollstonecraft, presenting her as a thoughtful writer surrounded by the tools of her work. That it is preserved by a women's movement archive shows how she became an important symbol for later feminist history.

Look closer

• What do the book and quill pen suggest about how the painter wanted viewers to see Wollstonecraft?
• Why might an archive dedicated to women's history choose to preserve this particular image?
• What can and can't a painted portrait tell us about a real historical person?