Portrait of Henry Harrington C.1755; Circle of William Hogarth (1697 - 1764)

This striking young gentleman has been depicted in a brown coat, a white cravat, and a pink waistcoat with elaborate silver detailing. In fashionable circles of this period the wig is worn dressed off the face from temple to temple in a low toupet and is worn in a plait at the back and tied at the nape of the neck (known as a Queue). The principle forms of the queue are: a) the tie (a mere bunch of curls caught together by a small black bow, b) the black bag (as in our portrait) which encloses the back hair in a silk bag and is tied with a large bow at the nape of the neck, c) the plaited queue which could be up to 3 queues, and d) the pigtail, tightly encased in a black ribbon. The Bag Wig is thought to have both protected the jacket from the white powder and kept the hair neat.

By tradition the sitter is Henry Harrington. This could be Henry Harrington, residing in Phoenix St, Spitafields, London who in 1777 married Miss Ann Grate at St Leonard Church, Shoreditch, London.

William Hogarth was one of the most influential artists of the eighteenth century - he was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist. He is credited with being the first artist in Europe to create art that represented and expressed a national identity.

Born in London, Hogarth was apprenticed to a silver engraver for seven years, moving on to creating his own satirical prints. His series of prints such as 'A Rake's Progress' (1733-1735) had widespread appeal, particularly for the growing ranks of the middle-classes. He studied at the new St Martin’s Academy in 1720 and his fellow students were Joseph Highmore, Arthur Pond and William Kent, and he later attended the private art school at Covent Garden founded by Sir James Thornhill. On Thornhill’s death in 1734 he inherited the equipement from the first Academy and established the St Martin’s Lane Academy.

Hogarth was also a popular portrait painter. In 1745 he painted actor David Garrick, for which he was paid £200, "which was more", he wrote, "than any English artist ever received for a single portrait". Testament to this talent, in 1757 he was appointed Serjeant Painter to the King. He became a member of the Rose and Crown Club, with Peter Tillemans, George Vertue, Michael Dahl, and other artists and connoisseurs.

Provenance: Property of Charles Edward Broadnax Hansell and Silvia Hansell of historic Mimosa Hall, Roswell, Georgia, USA (built c.1840). Charles (Ned) was the fifth generation of his family to live in historic Mimosa Hall which is one of the seven “founding homes” of Roswell

Inscriptions: Presentation label on frame inscribed “Henry Harrington by William Hogarth (1697-1694). Old label on reverse of frame with indistinct text “1764, Collection of Lord ?land”

Literature: Historic Costume 1490-1790, Kelly & Schwabe 1925

Measurements: Height 98cm, Width 85cm framed (Height 38.5”, Width 33.5” framed)

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