Portret van Samuel Hood 1802

This is a portrait of Samuel Hood made by Friedrich Wilhelm Nettling, likely made in the early 19th century. It’s important to consider the tradition of portraiture within the history of institutional art. Images of respected and powerful members of society have always been a way for art to reinforce the social hierarchy. Lord Hood is shown here in his naval regalia, a visual symbol of the might of the British Navy. This was an important institution within British society at the time. We can look to sources from the time to get a better picture of how this image might have been viewed at the time. Archival material from the Royal Navy, and even newspapers and political cartoons could give us a sense of how images like this were used to construct cultural ideas around nationhood and patriotism.