Portrait of George Cockburn (Beechey)

Portrait of George Cockburn
Artist	William Beechey
Year	1820
Type	Oil on canvas, portrait
Dimensions	241.3 cm× 147.7 cm(95.0 in× 58.1 in)
Location	National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Portrait of George Cockburn is an oil on canvas portrait painting by the English artist William Beechey, from 1810. It depicts the British admiral Sir George Cockburn. ^{[1] [2]}

History and description

Cockburn served for decades in the Royal Navy. In the War of 1812 he commanded British naval forces during the Burning of Washington. In 1815 he was charged with escorting the deposed French emperor Napoleon into exile and British captivity on the Atlantic island of Saint Helena. He later served as First Naval Lord.

Cockburn is shown wearing the dress uniform of a vice admiral and the star Order of the Bath. He wears the sword presented to him by Horatio Nelson in 1797 while his hand rests on a map of Cockburn Land on Baffin Island. The painting is in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. ^[3] It was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1824 at Somerset House in London.

See also

• Portrait of Horatio Nelson , an 1801 painting by Beechey of another notable naval figure
• Portrait of George Cockburn , an 1817 painting by John James Halls

References

1. Miller p. 58
2. Morriss p. 173
3. "Vice-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 1772-1853". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 8 December 2024.

Bibliography

• Miller, Amy. Dressed to Kill: British Naval Uniform, Masculinity and Contemporary Fashions, 1748-1857. National Maritime Museum, 2007.
• Morriss, Roger. Cockburn and the British Navy in Transition: Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 1772-1853. University of South Carolina Press, 1997.