George Frederick Cooke as Richard III

Thomas Sully’s George Frederick Cooke as Richard III represents an actor within a role. Cooke stands in elaborate costume, one hand raised across his body, beneath a broad plumed hat. The full-length canvas belongs to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which dates it to 1811–1812. It is a likeness of a performer presenting a theatrical king, rather than an image made from life of the historical Richard III. ^[1]

The picture helped establish Sully’s early reputation in Philadelphia. The historical accounts connect it with subscribers, theatrical audiences and the Academy, giving it a public history beyond the encounter between one painter and one sitter. Its effect depends on that combination: a recognisable actor, the costume of a part and a large painted arrangement capable of sustaining attention away from the stage. ^[2]

The actor and the character

The title carries two identities. George Frederick Cooke is the person whose appearance Sully recorded; Richard III is the role through which the actor is presented. Recognising the distinction changes how the costume, gesture and expression are read. They belong to an image of performance, not to documentary evidence of a medieval ruler’s wardrobe or face.

Cooke’s features remain visible beneath the feathered hat. The head turns toward the viewer, while the body occupies a more oblique position. The raised hand crosses the chest and extends outward, giving the upper figure a clear action. The picture can suggest a performer addressing someone without requiring the viewer to identify one exact spoken line.

The costume enlarges the figure’s presence. Gold decoration articulates the dark garment, white trim separates passages of fabric, and the red cloak falls down one side. These areas give the body a sequence of contrasting surfaces. The face is relatively small within the whole canvas, but the surrounding costume directs attention back toward it.

A large painting for a public reputation

At more than two metres high, the canvas gives Cooke a presence on a scale quite different from a small portrait head. The standing body, foreground floor and architectural setting all contribute to that effect. The viewer meets a figure whose space appears to continue beyond the narrow rectangle of the likeness alone.

The NGA catalogue supplies register-based dates of 13 April 1811 to 13 June 1812 for the Cooke portrait. It places the work alongside Sully’s full-length Captain Charles Stewart , painted over an overlapping period. Cooke therefore belongs to an important early phase of Sully’s work with the complete standing figure. ^[10]

It should not automatically be called his first full-length painting. Biddle and Fielding describe an earlier theatrical picture of William B. Wood in a role from The Robbers . That precedent shows Sully already exploring a relationship between portraiture, costume and dramatic action before the more celebrated Cooke canvas. ^[2]

Costume, gesture and the floor beneath the figure

The plumes make the top of the composition unusually animated. Their dark, irregular outline differs from the firmer forms of face, collar and shoulder below. Bright decoration on the sleeve and chest then draws attention toward the raised hand, where the gesture becomes the clearest action in the upper body.

Below the decorated garment, pale stockings or close-fitting leg coverings contrast with the darker boots. The legs stand apart, giving the figure a stable base. The floor extends around the feet and opens toward the viewer. This is important to the full-length effect: Cooke does not simply hover within a costume display, but occupies a legible standing position.

The red cloak creates a long passage along the left side of his body. Its weight and folds contrast with the sharper gold patterns across the torso. Following that fabric downward connects the head and shoulder with the lower part of the picture, helping hold the extensive figure together.

These details are most useful when read as part of an arrangement. A theatrical portrait must keep costume interesting without allowing ornament to replace the sitter. Here, the head, hand and stance remain readable through the richness of what surrounds them.

Architecture and the figure at the left

The painted setting contains substantial columns, arches and a stone-coloured standing figure behind Cooke. The columns frame the body while creating a sequence of verticals at different depths. Their bases meet the floor, giving the foreground enough structure to support the full-length pose.

The quieter figure at the left provides a different kind of presence. Its muted colour and still posture contrast with Cooke’s patterned costume and active hand. It contributes to the atmosphere without becoming an equally prominent second sitter.

The setting should not be treated as a verified photograph of the stage on which Cooke performed. The painting may preserve aspects of theatrical presentation while arranging them for the canvas. Without a securely identified production or scene, the architectural background and raised gesture are insufficient to assign a precise instant in the play.

Subscribers, the Academy and the portrait’s audience

Biddle and Fielding reproduce a letter in which Washington Irving described the project and a Philadelphia subscription. The account gives a proposed three-hundred-dollar payment and reports that the subscription filled rapidly. It places the portrait within a circle of people interested in both the performer and the painter. ^[2]

PAFA’s current credit line identifies the acquisition as a gift from friends and admirers of the artist. That wording should remain distinct from an assumption that Cooke privately commissioned and paid for the canvas himself. The work’s public support forms part of its history. ^[1]

The same historical biography describes the painting being displayed in a theatrical setting marked by mourning after Cooke’s death. Such an account shows how the image could stand for a performer beyond a single performance. A likeness made during his career could acquire a commemorative function when the living actor was no longer available. ^[2]

The canvas consequently had more than one possible audience. People who knew Cooke on stage could compare it with their memory of his appearance and gestures. Others could encounter it as a large theatrical portrait, reading the role through title, costume and setting. Its continued presence at the Academy gives that second encounter particular importance.

Sully remembers watching Cooke

In a later recollection reproduced by Biddle and Fielding, Sully described his response to Cooke’s acting: “as the play advanced I grew enthusiastic.” He also recalled an improvised seat shared with a companion who repeatedly interrupted their seating arrangement in order to applaud. ^[2]

The anecdote is a recollection, not a transcript written during the performance. Its value lies in connecting the painter with the experience of watching the actor. Sully’s subject was someone he had encountered as a performer before presenting him through the different resources of paint.

The painting cannot reproduce a voice, a succession of speeches or the changing reactions of an audience. It selects a lasting bodily arrangement instead. A raised hand, tilted head and elaborate costume must carry an impression that theatre could develop over time. The anecdote and canvas therefore illuminate different parts of the relationship between performance and portraiture.

A comparison with Captain Charles Stewart

Sully’s Captain Charles Stewart , now at the National Gallery of Art, is another large standing portrait from 1811–1812. The two works overlap in execution and use costume, gesture and architecture to establish a public presence. One presents a naval officer in uniform; the other presents an actor in a part. ^{[10] [4]}

In the Stewart portrait, the dark coat, pale breeches, sword and nearby table define the figure’s place within an extensive setting. In Cooke, the plumed hat, patterned garment and cloak create a more ornate silhouette. Both require the painter to connect a relatively small face with a much larger body and room.

The comparison helps explain the range of Sully’s portraits . Full-length presentation was not reserved for royalty, nor did every dramatic pose indicate an actor. Its resources could be adapted to different public identities. Cooke’s theatrical costume is central to this picture, but the broader compositional problem belongs to Sully’s work beyond the theatre.

Other portraits and the surviving canvas

Sully’s later recollection describes three portraits of Cooke, including one dressed as a gentleman and a separate head. These should not be merged into the history of the full-length theatrical work. The current PAFA accession, 1812.1, identifies the large canvas discussed here. ^{[2] [1]}

The distinction returns attention to the role of costume. A portrait could preserve Cooke’s appearance without presenting Richard III; this painting makes that dramatic identity central. It gives an audience information about a particular aspect of his public life while leaving room for other images to present him differently.

The portrait’s lasting interest comes from how firmly it holds its two identities together. Cooke remains a particular person, while the role gives him a costume, attitude and setting beyond an everyday likeness. The viewer can attend to the actor, the represented king or the painter’s orchestration of both, without requiring the picture to become a literal record of a complete performance.