Francis Rawdon-Hastings c. 1754 - 1826

Joshua Reynolds painted this portrait of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, an officer in the British Army, during the late 18th century. Reynolds was the first president of the Royal Academy, and his portraits were hugely popular with the British aristocracy. Notice how Hastings’s confident pose and gaze construct an image of British power. The red military jacket, white breeches, and tall boots mark him as a man of action. We see a classical pillar and swag of curtain, conventions that signal wealth, taste, and education. But the landscape in the background alludes to Britain's imperial project, suggesting Hastings’ role in colonial expansion. These markers would have been deeply meaningful to the social elite of the time. Historical archives and institutional records can reveal the structures of power that defined the British Empire. We can view artworks like this as cultural objects embedded in political history.