Captain William Locker was active in the British naval service beginning in 1746, served with distinction in the 1860s, married an Admiral's daughter, and was promoted to captain in 1768. He took command of different frigates and during this period one of his lieutenants was the nineteen year old Horatio Nelson. Locker's teachings had a lasting effect on Nelson.
Locker continued to serve England during times of conflict with France and Spain. In 1793 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital.
From Lawrence Park:
London c 1785, Canvas 34 x 30 inches. Half length, turned three quarters to the left, with his brown eyes directed to the spectator. His sparse white hair is tied in a queue bow, and he wears a naval uniform coat of dark blue with white facings and gold braid and buttons, and a white stock. The plain background is dark brown.
FROM:
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
This one is considered and known as an original Gilbert Stuart.
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Now up for auction at "Freeman's" on April 25 is, a stated original Stuart COPY of this portrait by the master, for 25,000. to 35,000. USD : seen just below.
Notes on this portrait indicate that according to tradition, Stuart painted this copy of his portrait of Captain Locker at the request of Locker's daughter. Stuart's original work of 1785 is in the collection of the Maritime Art Museum, Greenwich, as seen above. Lawrence Park does not mention a copy of this painting by Gilbert Stuart; he would have mentioned an original Stuart copy if there was one...
The provenance states:
"From the family collection of a Philadelphia Gentleman."
The copy is too good for me to determine whether it is an original Stuart or not. We know he made copies of his Washington portrait. Unfortunately he never signed his portraits.
Wait there is ANOTHER copy! This one is at the Nelson Society. Here the portrait is definitely a la Stuart, but the clouds are again different and the painting is not attributed to Stuart.
Captain William Locker was famous in his time. These portraits are all excellent in providing us a likeness of the captain.
The portrait below is interesting as it shows Cap Locker at an older age. The painter is not known.
From my favorite (living) portrait painter.... her comments on this particular post I agree with completely.
Jeanne wrote "I just came across your April 18 blog post. What a magnificent painting that first one is. Absolutely wonderful. It reminds me of your own Stuart in its strength. The other two are a mystery. They are Stuart-like yet much weaker in execution. What seems odd to me is that the faces are so exactly alike that the second and third almost could be traced from the original, yet the coloring is very different -- it makes the sitter look much older. The backgrounds are not typical for him either, I don't think. Darn that man for never signing anything."
MORE FROM JEANNE:
Rereading your post, Park's description [see Lawrence Park description above] seems not to fit any of the three portraits of William Locker:
Both of the portrais in which Locker is shown in uniform have sky backgrounds. In the portrait with the brown background, he was not in uniform. Makes you wonder whether Park was relying on secondhand information. Or there is a fourth painting, or the one in the Maritime Museum was overpainted.
The portrait of Locker as an older man was by Lemuel Francis Abbott-- there is an interesting wikipedia article about him.
To me the coloring of the painting in the Maritime Museum looks more like Abbott's work.
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Perhaps the painting seen and described by Lawrence Park....is missing? We are LOOKING FOR A NAVAL UNIFORM & a PLAIN BROWN BACKGROUND !
I wonder if the Maritime Museum portrait is an original Stuart. Usually his men have ruddy cheeks, the coloring is so drab!
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