James Cook
- Artist: John Webber
- Date: 1776
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 17 3/8 in. x 13 7/8 in. (440 mm x 354 mm) overall
- Portrays: James Cook
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
In front of you stands John Webber’s oil on canvas portrait of Captain James Cook, painted in November 1776 while he was aboard the Endeavour on his third voyage. The canvas is a small, feigned oval—about 17 by 14 inches—that gives the picture an intimate frame.
Webber, who worked as a landscape painter and draughtsman for the expedition, has captured Cook in full naval uniform, head held high, eyes steady. The painted fabric shows subtle folds and brass buttons that denote rank.
The image recalls Cook’s circumnavigation between 1768 and 1779, his 1770 landing at Botany Bay, and the claim of Australia for George III. His voyages opened routes to New Zealand and the South Pacific, though they were also accompanied by conflict with Indigenous peoples.
See it in person
James Cook is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
