Portrait of a Man, Known as the "Indian Captain"

Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–1797

ca. 1767

Oil on canvas

Yale Center for British Art

A man in a green military-style jacket and white turban stands with one hand on his hip and the other holding a cane. He is depicted in a landscape with a tree on the left and a ship at sea in the background. The identity of the sitter in this enigmatic portrait is unknown. Some think he is the “Indian Captain” that Joseph Wright of Derby exhibited in 1767, but the turban and costume are fanciful, not the uniform of an East Indian Company officer. Whoever he is, the background ships imply an imminent departure, and the lingering look over his shoulder suggests a reluctance to leave. These elements suggest that the portrait was commissioned to mark a significant moment in the sitter’s life. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection