Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714-1794), Lord Chancellor
- Gallery portraits
- All known portraits
- Biography and References
1759
Painting by Benjamin Wilson, standing three-quarter length in black gown and bands. Harvard Law School. Exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1760 (70). Sketched by Scharf in 1859 and 1872 (Sir George Scharf's Trustees' Sketch Books, 3/40 and 18/33 & 34).
In a series of judgments in 1763-65 Camden maintained that the general warrants issued by the government for the arrest of the radical John Wilkes were illegal; his judgments brought him popular acclaim and he received the freedoms of the cities of Dublin, Bath, Exeter and Norwich, while the City of London placed his full-length portrait by Reynolds within the Guildhall (see 1764-65).
1764-65
Painting by Joshua Reynolds three-quarter length, reduced in 1968 from a whole length, standing in judicial robes. Guildhall Art Gallery, London (40; D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1475). Engraved J. Basire 1766 (exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1767, no.18); S-F. Ravenet 1766 (‘The Great Assertor of English Liberty’; exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1767 no.264), his preparatory drawing in the British Museum (1890.05.12.66); J. G. Haid; T. Cooke; H. Wallis 1843. A half-length copy sold Sotheby’s, 8 April 1992, lot 48, and a small whole-length version in an American private collection 1925 (see D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, nos.1475a & b).
1764
Painting by Thomas Hudson, whole length in judicial robes. Exeter Guildhall (where sketched by Scharf in 1884; Sir George Scharf's Sketch Books, 109/72). Anon. related mezzotint 1765, a rolled Magna Charta in his left hand, standing by a statue of Britannia bearing a plaque lettered amor populi; lettered... in honorem tanti viri/anglicae libertatis lege assertoris fidi ...
1765
Painting by William Hoare, whole-length standing, in judicial robes, the Magna Charta by his right hand. Assembly Rooms, Bath. Engraved J. Spilsbury 1766 (reduced).
1765-66
Painting by Joshua Reynolds, see NPG 459.
1766
Medal by Thomas Pingo, designed by James Stuart (L. Brown, A Catalogue of British Historical Medals 1760-1960: The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV, 1980, no.97; C. Eimer, The Pingo Family & Medal Making in 18th-century Britain, 1998, no.35). Exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1767 (225). A Wedgwood medallion of 1776 (illus. R. Reilly and G. Savage, Wedgwood the Portrait Medallions, 1973, p 81) derived from this medal and there are related engravings by T. Holloway 1786, W. Ridley 1798 (for Junius 1799) and J. Hopwood 1805.
Wax by Isaac Gossett, exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1766 (205). A medal of 1777 by John Kirk is described by L. Brown, A Catalogue of British Historical Medals 1760-1960: The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV, 1980, no.210, as after Gossett.
Medals by John Kirk were otherwise struck in 1766, 1773 and exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1776 (220), see L. Brown, A Catalogue of British Historical Medals 1760-1960: The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV, 1980, nos.96, 176.
1767-69
Painting by Nathaniel Dance, see NPG 336.
1767
Marble bust by Joseph Wilton, exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1767 (215). A derivative bust by William Behnes 1830 is at Bayham Abbey.
Painting by Joshua Reynolds, three-quarter length seated. Christie’s, 31 July 1947, lot 94 (D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1477). A copy from Bayham Abbey on the London art market 1976.
c.1767
Anon. engraving, whole-length as lord chancellor.
c.1770
Anon. engraving, half length in private dress (NPG reference collection, D1196).
c.1778
Painting by Joshua Reynolds, three-quarter length in private dress. Private collection (D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1478).
1779-81
Painting by J. S. Copley, The Death of Chatham. A drawing from the head of Camden attributed to Bartolozzi is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (illus. Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XIV, 1956, p 123).
1780
Painting by Richard Cosway, whole length seated in judicial robes, turning towards a bust of Lord Chatham. Private collection (illus. In the Minds and Hearts of the People, New York Graphic Soc., 1974, p 192). In March 1780 Camden told his daughter he was sitting to Cosway (see Pictures from Ulster Houses 1961, no.72).
1781
Anon. engraving, bust-length with ermine over dark coat (London Mag.).
1782
Painting by Thomas Gainsborough, three-quarter length seated in private dress. Private collection (E. K. Waterhouse, Gainsborough, 1958, no.110). Exhibited RA 1782 (126). Engraved F. Bartolozzi 1795.
c.1782?
Wedgwood medallion, tentatively dated ‘as late as 1782’ (illus. R. Reilly and G. Savage, Wedgwood the Portrait Medallions, 1973, p 81; R. Reilly, Wedgwood Jasper, 1994, p 330).
1793
Drawing by George Dance, profile bust, dated 23 September 1793. British Museum (1967.10.14.66). Exhibited RA 1795 (577). Engraved J. Ogborne 1794 (see Joseph Farington, Diary, 13 November 1794); W. Daniell (A Collection of Portraits sketched from the Life since the Year 1973 by George Dance Esqr. R.A. and engraved in imitation of the Original Drawings by William Daniell, A.R.A., 2 vols, 1814). A smaller version was made for Camden’s daughter (D. Stroud, George Dance, 1971, p 174), possibly that exhibited Sabin, Sublime and Beautiful, 1973 (20). Camden wrote to Dance ‘expressing the pleasure which He had in the general admiration of Dances profile drawings’ (Joseph Farington, Diary, 11 October 1793).
1805
Anon. etching, whole-length seated in judicial robes; pub. W. Miller.
A second state of J. Faber’s mezzotint of Allan Ramsay’s Thomas Burnet was altered to represent Camden (J. C. Smith, British Mezzotint Portraits, 1878-84, 52).
A medallion bust of Camden appears in George Willison’s Allegory of the Douglas Cause, 1769 (exhibited Moubray House, Edinburgh, 1951, no.79a).
This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.
Painting by Benjamin Wilson, standing three-quarter length in black gown and bands. Harvard Law School. Exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1760 (70). Sketched by Scharf in 1859 and 1872 (Sir George Scharf's Trustees' Sketch Books, 3/40 and 18/33 & 34).
In a series of judgments in 1763-65 Camden maintained that the general warrants issued by the government for the arrest of the radical John Wilkes were illegal; his judgments brought him popular acclaim and he received the freedoms of the cities of Dublin, Bath, Exeter and Norwich, while the City of London placed his full-length portrait by Reynolds within the Guildhall (see 1764-65).
1764-65
Painting by Joshua Reynolds three-quarter length, reduced in 1968 from a whole length, standing in judicial robes. Guildhall Art Gallery, London (40; D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1475). Engraved J. Basire 1766 (exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1767, no.18); S-F. Ravenet 1766 (‘The Great Assertor of English Liberty’; exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1767 no.264), his preparatory drawing in the British Museum (1890.05.12.66); J. G. Haid; T. Cooke; H. Wallis 1843. A half-length copy sold Sotheby’s, 8 April 1992, lot 48, and a small whole-length version in an American private collection 1925 (see D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, nos.1475a & b).
1764
Painting by Thomas Hudson, whole length in judicial robes. Exeter Guildhall (where sketched by Scharf in 1884; Sir George Scharf's Sketch Books, 109/72). Anon. related mezzotint 1765, a rolled Magna Charta in his left hand, standing by a statue of Britannia bearing a plaque lettered amor populi; lettered... in honorem tanti viri/anglicae libertatis lege assertoris fidi ...
1765
Painting by William Hoare, whole-length standing, in judicial robes, the Magna Charta by his right hand. Assembly Rooms, Bath. Engraved J. Spilsbury 1766 (reduced).
1765-66
Painting by Joshua Reynolds, see NPG 459.
1766
Medal by Thomas Pingo, designed by James Stuart (L. Brown, A Catalogue of British Historical Medals 1760-1960: The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV, 1980, no.97; C. Eimer, The Pingo Family & Medal Making in 18th-century Britain, 1998, no.35). Exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1767 (225). A Wedgwood medallion of 1776 (illus. R. Reilly and G. Savage, Wedgwood the Portrait Medallions, 1973, p 81) derived from this medal and there are related engravings by T. Holloway 1786, W. Ridley 1798 (for Junius 1799) and J. Hopwood 1805.
Wax by Isaac Gossett, exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1766 (205). A medal of 1777 by John Kirk is described by L. Brown, A Catalogue of British Historical Medals 1760-1960: The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV, 1980, no.210, as after Gossett.
Medals by John Kirk were otherwise struck in 1766, 1773 and exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1776 (220), see L. Brown, A Catalogue of British Historical Medals 1760-1960: The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV, 1980, nos.96, 176.
1767-69
Painting by Nathaniel Dance, see NPG 336.
1767
Marble bust by Joseph Wilton, exhibited Society of Artists, London, 1767 (215). A derivative bust by William Behnes 1830 is at Bayham Abbey.
Painting by Joshua Reynolds, three-quarter length seated. Christie’s, 31 July 1947, lot 94 (D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1477). A copy from Bayham Abbey on the London art market 1976.
c.1767
Anon. engraving, whole-length as lord chancellor.
c.1770
Anon. engraving, half length in private dress (NPG reference collection, D1196).
c.1778
Painting by Joshua Reynolds, three-quarter length in private dress. Private collection (D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1478).
1779-81
Painting by J. S. Copley, The Death of Chatham. A drawing from the head of Camden attributed to Bartolozzi is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (illus. Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XIV, 1956, p 123).
1780
Painting by Richard Cosway, whole length seated in judicial robes, turning towards a bust of Lord Chatham. Private collection (illus. In the Minds and Hearts of the People, New York Graphic Soc., 1974, p 192). In March 1780 Camden told his daughter he was sitting to Cosway (see Pictures from Ulster Houses 1961, no.72).
1781
Anon. engraving, bust-length with ermine over dark coat (London Mag.).
1782
Painting by Thomas Gainsborough, three-quarter length seated in private dress. Private collection (E. K. Waterhouse, Gainsborough, 1958, no.110). Exhibited RA 1782 (126). Engraved F. Bartolozzi 1795.
c.1782?
Wedgwood medallion, tentatively dated ‘as late as 1782’ (illus. R. Reilly and G. Savage, Wedgwood the Portrait Medallions, 1973, p 81; R. Reilly, Wedgwood Jasper, 1994, p 330).
1793
Drawing by George Dance, profile bust, dated 23 September 1793. British Museum (1967.10.14.66). Exhibited RA 1795 (577). Engraved J. Ogborne 1794 (see Joseph Farington, Diary, 13 November 1794); W. Daniell (A Collection of Portraits sketched from the Life since the Year 1973 by George Dance Esqr. R.A. and engraved in imitation of the Original Drawings by William Daniell, A.R.A., 2 vols, 1814). A smaller version was made for Camden’s daughter (D. Stroud, George Dance, 1971, p 174), possibly that exhibited Sabin, Sublime and Beautiful, 1973 (20). Camden wrote to Dance ‘expressing the pleasure which He had in the general admiration of Dances profile drawings’ (Joseph Farington, Diary, 11 October 1793).
1805
Anon. etching, whole-length seated in judicial robes; pub. W. Miller.
A second state of J. Faber’s mezzotint of Allan Ramsay’s Thomas Burnet was altered to represent Camden (J. C. Smith, British Mezzotint Portraits, 1878-84, 52).
A medallion bust of Camden appears in George Willison’s Allegory of the Douglas Cause, 1769 (exhibited Moubray House, Edinburgh, 1951, no.79a).
This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.