A former radical, Southey was Poet Laureate from 1813 to his death. Despite Byron's criticism of his 'blank verse and blanker prose', his prose is commonly regarded as superior to his poetry. He wrote histories and biographies as well as essays and reviews for the periodical press. After 1810, he was associated with the Tory Quarterly Review- a rival to Francis Jeffrey's Edingburgh Review.

This sculpture is on permanent displa at the National Portrait Gallery in London. It was sculpted in marble by Sir Francis Chantrey, dated upon its completion in 1832.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.