The Many Faces of Esek Hopklins 1758-2001

The only known authentic portrait of is contained in a painting called Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam by John Greenwood (1727-1792). The painting was done c.1752-1758 and is owned by the St. Louis Art Museum. The tradition of the Jenckes family, the original owners, was that the four men in the center of the table were (left to right): , Esek Hopkins, Stephen Hopkins (asleep), and Joseph Wanton. Here is the detail showing Cooke, Esek Hopkins, Stephen Hopkins, and Joseph Wanton:

Below is the full painting.

Other commentators give the date of the painting as 1755. There is some controversy as to whether the man in red was actually Stephen Hopkins, as per the said tradition. professor Robert Kenney believed that this man must have been Esek and Stephen's other brother, William, since Stephen was at the time running for re-election as Governor, and tied up in court in Worcester, Massachusetts while suing his arch rival Samuel Ward for slander. The two men in the middle are clearly related, as can be seen from the portrait.

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -1- John Greenwood_ Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam. For a larger view, click here .

-2- The next portrait of Hopkins is clearly a complete fabrication. This was presented in The Hibernian magazine, Dublin, Ireland, August 1776. The engraver also provided an incorrect forename for Hopkins. Compare the fleshy face and figure with the rather slender face and figure in the Greenwood portrait. [U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH64000]

Fanciful version of Hopkins, from The Hibernian .

The next image is one published by Dupin in Paris, France, probably about 1777. This is a decidedly youthful looking version of Hopkins, and is certainly another fabrication. Note the two interpretations of American flags. [U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C./ U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 59553]

French fantast version of Esek Hopkins.

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -3- The next portrait is an engraving published in France during the war, perhaps about 1779. Perhaps the single most interesting thing here is the “Serapis” flag shown on the ship in the background. Note the general similarity to the French Dupin engraving. [Engraving furnished to the Navy courtesy of Frederick S. Hicks. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #: NH 66460]

French version about 1779.

Next we have an engraving of Hopkins published by J.C. Buttre, , during the 19th Century. It includes a facsimile of Hopkins' signature. This Hopkins looks like he’s in his twenties. Again there is facial similarity to the French engravings. [U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #: NH 49075]

J.C. Buttre concept of Esek Hopkins.

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -4- This engraving is by J. Rodgers, and was published during the 19th century by Virtue, Emmins & Co., New York. It contains portraits of Esek Hopkins, Silas Talbot, , Richard Dale and John Barry. This is still another interpretation of Hopkins, but at least he looks a little older. [U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 316]

Below is the detail of the Hopkins portrait from the Rodgers engraving.

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -5- Here is a beautifully done modern painting by Orlando S. Lagman. This small work (about 4" by 5") is done after the Buttre engraving. Despite the quality of the painting the subject shown is a youthful figure in a uniform. Hopkins was 58 in 1776. [U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #: NH 85750-KN]

Esek Hopkins. London: Published by Thomas Hart, Aug. 22, 1776. Mezzotint. Note the flags shown behind Hopkins. These are correct for the time.

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -6- Extremely youthful version of Esek Hopkins, by Martin Johnson Meade, 1857. Published in Edward Field’s biography of Hopkins in 1898. Again, he was 58 when appointed to command.

This interesting paiting is from a miniature, supposed to be painted about 179?. Original here .

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -7- Our final entry is a modern, colorized version of the French mezzotint above. This item was for sale in Walmart at one time.

By now you can realize that nobody now knows exactly what Esek Hopkins looked like. Many interpretations have been produced over the years, almost all based on the very first images produced by engravers in England and France.

©awiatsea.com-posted August 2019 -8-