Skip to main content

Primary sourcePainting1741

Thomas Hutchinson

Edward Truman · 1741

A 1741 oil portrait of Thomas Hutchinson, painted during his lifetime as he rose to prominence in Massachusetts.

This portrait shows Hutchinson as a young man, years before he became the last civilian governor of Massachusetts.

Ask Thomas Hutchinson about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Oil portrait of a young man with pale powdered hair, shown from the shoulders up against a dark brown background. He wears a brown coat over a white cravat with ruffled edges and looks toward the viewer.
Edward Truman, Thomas Hutchinson, 1741 (cropped).

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Thomas Hutchinson was painted by Edward Truman in 1741. It shows a young man with powdered hair, dressed in a brown coat and white ruffled cravat, set against a dark background.

Why it matters

Painted decades before Hutchinson became governor of Massachusetts, this portrait captures him early in his public life. Portraits like this were markers of status and respectability among colonial elites, and this one lets us see how Hutchinson wanted to be presented to the world.

Look closer

  • What does Hutchinson's clothing and pose suggest about his social position in 1741?
  • Why might a wealthy colonist commission a portrait like this?
  • What is missing from a formal portrait like this that a letter or diary 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