Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden

This portraitback to top

Lord Camden assumed the office of lord chancellor in 1766 and the identical version of NPG 336 in King’s College, Cambridge, has been dated 1767-69 by Goodreau. [1]
A variant, differing only in that he wears a black broad-brimmed hat, for which there is a pencil study for the head in the British Museum (1905.10.19.14), [2] is represented by versions formerly in the collections of Lord Kenyon [3] and the Marquess of Camden, [4] and a third is in the Palace of Westminster. [5] A copy is in the Law Courts (GAC O.132), [6] and unattributed miniature copies are in the Victoria and Albert Museum (P.30.1929) and formerly in the collection of Mrs Hore-Ruthven. [7] The type was several times engraved. [8]

Footnotesback to top

1) See D. Goodreau, Nathaniel Dance, exhibition catalogue, Kenwood, 1977 (22), illus.; also exhibited Cambridge Portraits from Lely to Hockney, Cambridge, 1978 (15), illus.
2) Illus. Connoisseur, LXV, 1923, p 25.
3) J. Steegman, Portraits in Welsh Houses, I, p 159, no.72.
4) Exhibited Nathaniel Dance, Kenwood, 1977 (22) and Treasures from Kent Houses, Canterbury, 1984 (23), illus. Known as a Reynolds c.1931 (note by Steegman, 17 November 1931, NPG archive).
5) R. J. B. Walker, A Catalogue of paintings, drawings, engravings and sculpture in The Palace of Westminster compiled during 1959-77, 1988, I, p 47; exhibited Lord Mansfield, Kenwood 1971 (21).
6) R. J. B. Walker, A Check List of Portraits in the Department of the Environmental Picture Collection, 1976, p 12.
7) J. Steegman, Portraits in Welsh Houses, II, p 11, no.28.
8) H. Robinson 1833 (from a drawing by W. Derby), T. Phillibrown and G. Gabrielli 1875.

Physical descriptionback to top

Grey eyes, wearing the lord chancellor’s black silk robes faced with gold braid, his gold waistcoat just visible; he holds an unlettered grey book and his chancellor’s purse stands on a red cloth by his side; a deep red damask curtain above.

Provenanceback to top

Purchased from the 6th Baron Rokeby 1872.

Exhibitionsback to top

Crown Estates Office 1986-.


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.

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