A LONG-lost painting by a Limerick artist could hold a clue to an intriguing 18th century mystery that is the subject of a new historical novel.
William Palmer is believed to have brought his painting, “Portrait of Louisa the celebrated Maid of the Haystack”, back to Limerick when he set up a portrait painting business in 1788.
The painting may still be hanging in a home or a gallery in Ireland, with the owner unaware that it played a part in a mystery that swept across Europe in the 18th century.
Palmer, born in Limerick on November 18, 1763 was the son of a linen draper. He won a medal for his drawing skills at the Dublin Society School in Grafton Street before going to London to study under the celebrated Joshua Reynolds.
It was there he heard about Louisa – a mysterious young woman who lived in a haystack for four years near Bristol. She lived off donations from the visitors who came to look at her as a curiosity.
Palmer travelled to Bristol to paint her and the portrait was exhibited in London in 1788. Later that year he returned to Ireland to set up his business, which was flourishing until he suffered consumption.
He died in Bruff on July 26, 1790 when he was 26 years old and is buried in St John’s Churchyard in Limerick City.
Author Martin J Powell, whose book “Maid of the Haystack” has just been published, said: “Although other paintings by William Palmer have survived and are in museums there is no record of the Maid of the Haystack painting.
“We know what it looks like as it was used as the basis for an engraving that illustrated a pamphlet that circulated all over Europe. My book dramatises the story of Louisa and the speculation of who she was – one theory suggests a connection to European royalty.
“William Palmer was a superb and very accurate painter. To be able to see his original work and compare the features to some of those that Louisa was believed to be related to would be a huge step forward in solving the mystery and confirming some of the theories.
“There are two versions of the engraving with different backgrounds and slightly different features. In my book, I tell the story of how Joshua Reynolds and philanthropist Hannah More encouraged Palmer to travel to Bristol. The finished painting was very fashionable in the era of Romanticism.
“Hannah More eventually removed Louisa from the haystack and put her in a lunatic asylum, paying for her for the rest of her days. But there is evidence that it was all part of a cover-up of a scandal that shocked many people across Europe.”
If anyone has an idea where the painting may hang today they can contact the author via email [email protected].
The story of the Maid of the Haystack can be purchased through online book retailers or direct from www.bristolbooks.org.
