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Primary sourcePainting1741

Portrait of Thomas Hutchinson

Edward Truman · 1741

Edward Truman's 1741 oil portrait of the young Thomas Hutchinson, the principal surviving life likeness of him.

This 1741 portrait shows Hutchinson himself as a young merchant-politician, before his later career as governor.

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Oil painting of a young man with pale face, grey-powdered hair, and dark eyes, wearing a brown coat with gold embroidered waistcoat edge and a white cravat, against a dark brown background.
Edward Truman, Portrait of Thomas Hutchinson, 1741.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by Edward Truman, dated 1741, shows a young man in a brown coat with a gold-embroidered waistcoat and a white cravat. It depicts Thomas Hutchinson, who later became the last civilian royal governor of Massachusetts Bay.

Why it matters

Painted when Hutchinson was a rising merchant and politician, this portrait captures him before the political turmoil of his later career. It is considered the main image we have of him as a young man, long before he became a deeply controversial figure during the American Revolution.

Look closer

  • What does Hutchinson's clothing and pose suggest about his status at this time?
  • Why might a portrait from early in someone's life look very different from how they are remembered later?
  • What is missing from a formal portrait like this that a written record might show instead?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hutchinson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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