Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Bt, 1769-1839, Vice-Admiral of the Blue.

About Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Bt, 1769-1839, Vice-Admiral of the Blue

Portrait of Sir Thomas Hardy is an 1834 portrait painting by the British artist Richard Evans. It depicts the British admiral Thomas Hardy. He is shown in the full dress uniform of a Rear Admiral of the Royal Navy with the decorations of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath and holding a telescope. It was commissioned to commemorate his appointment as Governor of Greenwich Hospital having previously been First Naval Lord. William IV held him in high regard and only agreed to the appointment on condition that Hardy should return to active duty in the event of a war. Hardy has been the captain of Admiral Nelson's flagship HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and Nelson's dying words "Kiss me, Hardy" has been directed at him.