Thomas Hardy (English painter) facts for kids

Thomas Hardy (born in 1757, died in 1804) was a talented portrait painter from Derbyshire, England. He was known for capturing people's likenesses in his art.

Who Was Thomas Hardy?

Not a lot is known about Thomas Hardy's early life or his career. He joined the Royal Academy Schools in London in late 1778. Records show he had just turned 21.

Hardy showed 31 of his paintings at the Royal Academy between 1778 and 1798. Almost all of these were portraits. He also displayed four portraits at the Society of Artists exhibition in 1790.

Painting Musicians

Many of Thomas Hardy's paintings were of musicians living in London during the 1790s. He painted most of these portraits for John Bland, a British music seller and publisher. Bland likely asked Hardy to paint famous musicians of the time. He then used these paintings to create and sell engravings.

Famous Portraits

Joseph Haydn portrait by Hardy, 1792

Thomas Hardy is famous for his portrait of the composer Joseph Haydn. This painting is now kept at the Royal College of Music. Hardy also made an engraving of this portrait, which was published by Bland in 1792. This engraving has been copied and shared widely ever since.

Hardy also painted a well-known portrait of the composer and pianist Muzio Clementi. This portrait was published in 1794 by John Bland in London. You can see it today at the British Museum.

Other Important Works

Thomas Hardy also painted portraits of other famous musicians. These included Johann Peter Salomon, Ignaz Pleyel, Wilhelm Cramer, Samuel Arnold, and William Shield.

Hardy showed four of these portraits at the Royal Academy:

• Joseph Haydn and Johann Peter Salomon in 1792.
• Wilhelm Cramer in 1794.
• Samuel Arnold in 1796.

His portrait of Wilhelm Cramer is at the National Portrait Gallery in London. His paintings of Joseph Haydn, Johann Peter Salomon, and William Shield are at the Royal College of Music.

Learning More About Hardy

For a long time, people were not sure when Thomas Hardy died. But in October 1804, a magazine called Gentleman's Magazine announced his death. It said he passed away on September 14, 1804, after being sick for a while.

His life before joining the Royal Academy Schools was also a bit of a mystery. However, the diary of artist Joseph Farington gives us some clues. Farington wrote that Hardy was born in Derbyshire and studied art with a painter named Wright of Derby. Farington also mentioned that Hardy died at age 47. This happened because he caught a cold while working at the Academy. This information matches what was said in the Gentleman's Magazine.

Not to Be Confused With...

Sometimes, the painter Thomas Hardy is mixed up with another famous person named Thomas Hardy. This other Thomas Hardy (1752–1832) was a shoemaker and a political activist. He started a group called the London Corresponding Society. This group wanted to make changes to how the government worked.

The painter Thomas Hardy did paint a portrait of a politician named John Horne Tooke. This politician was connected to the political activist Thomas Hardy. Both the politician and the activist faced serious legal challenges in 1794.