Richard Mansergh St. George expressed his personal torment in this self-portrait. The sketch may be a record of one of his trauma-induced hallucinations. Dressed in his distinctive cap and robe, St. George stands in a barren landscape. Two demonic figures peer at him from the steps of a ruined castle. The demons bear similarities to figures called “Urma” that Henry Fuseli often included in his works and suggest Fuseli’s influence on the image. St. George signed the back of this sketch “Rd. Mansergh St. George By himself.”
Self-Portrait
Drawn by Richard Mansergh St. George
1780s-1790s
Watercolor, Ink, Paper
Museum of the American Revolution, Gift of Mr. Roger Shuttlewood