The portrait of Dr Edward Harrison MD (1766-1838)

The portrait of the London and Horncastle Physician Edward Harrison, painted and displayed in 1823, was editorially criticized by one of the medical journals of the time. After Harrison died the portrait remained in the family estate until 1938, after which it was presented to the National Gallery of Ireland. The image of Dr Harrison had never been displayed in any of his medical writings, nor in any other medical historical works, until 2008. This paper provides some history of the criticism of the portrait, similar to the historical vignette of the portraiture of William Harvey and outlines the detective work to track down the location of the portrait.