Portrait of Charles Hamilton, 8th Early of Haddington 

Joshua Reynolds painted this oil on canvas portrait of Charles Hamilton, the 8th Earl of Haddington. Reynolds was the most prominent portrait painter in England during the second half of the 18th century, and became the first president of the Royal Academy. Reynolds’s prominence coincided with the rise of Britain as a major imperial power. As such, Reynolds’s portraits can be seen as endorsements of the British aristocracy. Note here the confident gaze and the expensive fabrics, all visual cues that speak of wealth and status. Reynolds's style was influenced by his time in Italy, where he studied the Old Masters. This can be seen in the classical composition and the use of chiaroscuro. To fully understand this work, it is important to research the biographies of both the painter and the sitter, to get a sense of the artistic and social milieus in which they operated.