Thomas Broughton (1712–1777), Secretary of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

This portrait of Thomas Broughton, Secretary of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, records a key figure in the Georgian Anglican establishment responsible for distributing Bibles, prayer books, and religious literature throughout the British Empire. The SPCK, founded in 1698, was one of the principal instruments through which the Church of England extended its influence into colonial territories and provided religious education to the poor. Broughton's administrative role placed him at the center of this evangelical infrastructure. Dance renders the secretary with the sober dignity appropriate to ecclesiastical administration, the portrait serving as institutional record of a significant if unspectacular public servant.

Dance renders the clerical subject with appropriate sobriety, the dark costume and plain background creating a composition that emphasizes intellectual presence over social display. The face is painted with careful attention to individual physiognomy.