Peter Beckford

This print portrays Peter Beckford (1643-1710) a planter in Jamaica who later became Lieutenant Governor in 1702. He arrived in Jamaica shortly after it became a colony in 1662 with some slaves and rose to become one of the wealthiest sugar planters in Jamaica. Noted by Pepys in his diary in 1661as about to depart to Jamaica, Beckford was the first of a powerful dynasty to dominate government and society in the West Indies. His descendants used this large wealth which was generated to build the extravagant Fonthill estate in Wiltshire and to spend lavishly on high society.

This print depicts Beckford as a successful planter with the reference to Jamaica shown in the background by the fort and the British flag flying from it. The stance, which mimics an aristocratic nobleman and the ornate coat of the figure, show a confident and successful landowner emulating the more longstanding estate owners entrenched in British society.