Captain Coram
William Hogarth
1740
Oil on canvas
The Foundling Museum, Brunswick Square, London
Thomas Coram (1668-1751) was robust and forthright, a man of action. In this famous full-length portrait of him by William Hogarth, he wears a stout, serviceable greatcoat of rich reddish brown, his abundant white hair framing a weather-beaten face. The globe by his left foot reminds us of his sea-faring past, and his white cuffs draw attention to his capable-looking hands. [Commentary continues below.]
Image download, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee.
In one of his hands, the Captain holds his gloves, and by his right foot rests his three-cornered hat, prominently placed to remind us of his support of the hatters, for whose trade he had managed to get protection from undue competition (see Taylor) — this is seen more clearly in the engraving shown below. The good Captain radiates energy, and seems all ready to set out again on a new mission, as indeed he was at this time. In his other hand he firmly grasps the great seal of a Royal Charter — that of the London Foundling Hospital, which he had worked for seventeen long years to establish, and which would not only outlast its original programme and buildings, but influence the whole future of organized charity in general.
Left: The stipple engraving, after the original, is by William Nutter, published 1796. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG D9102, available on this Creative Commons Licence). Right: Detail of the original portrait.
There is nothing conventional or posed about this strikingly honest picture. Coram's suit gapes, unbuttoned over his paunch. Even the globe, often introduced as a symbol of marine life, is not just an emblematic addition, but is carefully turned to show the Atlantic. The Captain's expression is cheerful, faintly triumphant, as well it might be now that his charitable project is finally off the ground. His biographer Jenny Uglow calls the portrait "a bold, brilliant tribute to an individual, and to British public benevolence, to ordinary people undertaking what the state would not do" (332), and considers it "extraordinary, a landmark" (333). No wonder it is often reproduced.
Related Material
Bibliography
Taylor, James Stephen. "Coram, Thomas (c.1668-1751)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 1 June 2013.
Uglow, Jenny William Hogarth: A Life and a World. London: Faber, 1997. Print.
Last modified 28 May 2013