William Bligh

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated in pencil lower left: Geo: Dance/May 31st.1794; laid down on a contemporary washed mount lettered: CAP^N BLIGH.

This portraitback to top

Shown in civilian dress while he was at home on half pay following his return from the second successful breadfruit voyage (1791-93). No engraving of this drawing is recorded.

Referenceback to top

Callender 1936
G. Callender, ‘The Portraiture of Blight’, The Mariner’s Mirror, XXII, 1936, p 175.

Provenanceback to top

The artist's grandson, the Rev George Dance; his sale, Christie's, 1 July 1898, lot 21, bought Colnaghi for the NPG.

Exhibitionsback to top

Captain Cook, Oregon, 1974-75 (132); Mutiny on the Bounty, National Maritime Museum, 1989 (157).


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.

View all known portraits for William Bligh

View all known portraits for George Dance