Unknown man, formerly known as Thomas Walker

Inscriptionback to top

Formerly on the back of the portrait is a manuscript label now in the picture dossier: Walker, the Comedian, as Capt. McHeath/in the 'Beggars Opera', painted by Hogarth/and presented to Walker, on the occasion/of his last benefit.

This portraitback to top

Walker's last benefit was probably at Goodman's Fields in 1742 - illness prevented an appearance in Dublin four days before his death on 5 June 1744. [1] The sitter's apparent age would not be impossible, if perhaps a little young, for this date, Walker being in his 44th year in 1742.
Apart from the lack of eyebrows, the face, if a little leaner and sharper, can be reconciled with authentic portraits, but NPG 2202 is not a known type, and its history is not known before 1928. It has been ascribed to Hogarth, because of the superficial resemblance of dress and pose to the figure of Macheath in the ‘Beggar's Opera', and doubtless this has coloured the identification. Hogarth sometimes painted with a 'coarse, bold stroke', but compared with pictures like ‘The Fairies Dancing on the Green by Moonlight', [2] NPG 2202 is incompetent rather than free. It might just prove to be a late work by the amateur painter Marcellus Laroon the younger, but too few life-size portraits from his hand are known to permit an attribution. No portrait of Walker is listed in Dr Raines' recent monograph.

Footnotesback to top

1) Dictionary of National Biography, XX, pp 542-43.
2) L. Gowing, 'Hogarth', exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery, 1971, pp 51-53 (126).

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark brown eyes, faint eyebrows, broad lips, the lower protruding slightly, short brown wig; black tricorne hat, edged with gold lace, plain grey coat and brown waistcoat, white shirt; dark brown background; lit from the left.

Conservationback to top

Discoloured varnish; pin holes in the corners; the paint is now very thin to the left of the wig, otherwise sound.

Provenanceback to top

Given 1928 by Walter Horace, 2nd Viscount Bearsted; purchased by Spinks earlier in the year from P. Morley Horder of 5 Arlington Street, SW1.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1977, 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 Thomas Walker