Captain Alexander Hood, 1726-1814

Reynolds's portrait of Captain Alexander Hood from 1763, in the Royal Museums Greenwich, depicts the naval officer who would later achieve fame as Admiral Viscount Bridport. The portrait was painted during the Seven Years' War period when British naval officers were national heroes. Reynolds's maritime portraits combine the conventions of aristocratic portraiture with the specific trappings of naval command, creating images that celebrate both individual character and the institution of the Royal Navy.

Reynolds presents the naval officer with the confident bearing appropriate to his profession, rendered in warm tones against a sea backdrop. The handling of the naval uniform and the sitter's direct gaze create an image of professional authority within the conventions of maritime portraiture.