William Congreve was a dramatist and in this hand-coloured engraving, he appears vain but witty. Congreve wears a fashionable coat and wig, and he is pointing towards something with his right index finger. This print was made after a Kneller portrait housed at the National Portrait Gallery in London dating from 1709, and highlights the similarities and differences between the two works. Kneller’s portrait of Congreve was clearly popular: not only was it reproduced in print form, it also served as the effigy on Congreve’s monument found in Westminster Abbey.