Skip to main content

Primary sourcePaintingc. 1750

Portrait of Thomas Hutchinson

Unknown · c. 1750

A mid-18th-century oil portrait of Thomas Hutchinson, now displayed in Boston's Old State House, the seat of the government he led.

This portrait depicts Hutchinson, likely during his rise in Massachusetts government, and now hangs in the Old State House he once led.

Ask Thomas Hutchinson about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Oil portrait of an 18th-century man with a white powdered wig, pale blue eyes, and a slight closed-mouth expression. He wears a dark brown coat with gold buttons and a white cravat against a dark background.
Unknown artist, Portrait of Thomas Hutchinson, c. 1750. Old State House Museum, Boston.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait, by an unknown painter, shows an 18th-century man in a white powdered wig and dark brown coat with gold buttons, identified as Thomas Hutchinson. It is dated to around 1750 and hangs today in the Old State House Museum in Boston.

Why it matters

The Old State House was the seat of government in colonial Massachusetts, the very institution Hutchinson would later lead as governor. Displaying his portrait there links his image directly to the seat of royal authority in the province, and gives students a sense of how a colonial official of his era would have presented himself.

Look closer

  • What does Hutchinson's clothing and expression suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why do you think this portrait was placed in the Old State House rather than a private home?
  • What is missing from a formal portrait like this that a letter or document might reveal 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.

More Thomas Hutchinson sources

Meet the AI Thomas Hutchinson →
Front cover of a bound book with reddish-brown and cream marbled paper boards, dark brown leather spine and corners with gold tooling along the edges, photographed against a light background.Letter

Primary source

Hutchinson–Whately Letters

Thomas Hutchinson · 1767–1769 (published 1773)

Front cover of a dark brown leather-bound book with a thin gold-tooled border line inset around the edges. The spine is visible on the left side. No title or text is visible on the cover.Book

Primary source

The History of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts-Bay

Thomas Hutchinson · 1764, 1767, 1828

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.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Thomas Hutchinson

Edward Truman · 1741

Photograph of a handwritten letter on aged paper behind glass, headed 'Massachusetts Bay' and 'By the Governor', addressed to Iohn Hancock and the people assembled in Boston. Text has crossed-out words and a stain.Document

Primary source

Letter Directing the Old South Tea Meeting to Adjourn

Thomas Hutchinson · November 30, 1773

Black-and-white woodcut-style print. A skeleton figure labeled Death thrusts a spear toward a seated man in a wig and coat, who has a halo of light behind him. A horned devil holds a tablet reading "List of Crimes" and is behind the skeleton. A skull and a money bag are on a table. A caption below reads "The wicked Statesman, or the Traitor to his Country, at the Hour of Death."Painting

Primary source

The Wicked Statesman political cartoon

Paul Revere · published 1774

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Thomas Hutchinson now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions