Two pastel portraits by Margaret King
Margaret King was a pioneering female pastel portraitist active in London from 1779 to 1787, one of the early professional women artists exhibiting at the Royal Academy during that period. In our collection we have two pastel portraits by Margaret, one of Mr John Tatum, first surgeon of Salisbury General Infirmary and the second is of his wife Catherine Pike.
Mr. John Tatum (1724-1783) – Surgeon of Salisbury Infirmary
John Tatum was a notable 18th-century surgeon and the fifth child of Dr. Thomas Tatum (1681–1757) of Mere, Wiltshire. The Tatums were a prominent medical family: of seven siblings, three pursued medical careers, including John and his brothers Thomas Jr. (1712–1767) and Harry (b. 1722) became medics.
John trained at St George’s Hospital, London, a leading centre for surgical instruction at the time. Upon completing his training, he returned to Salisbury and took up residence in The Close, the historic cathedral precinct. In 1766, he was appointed one of the first two surgeons at the newly established Salisbury Infirmary, a position he held until 1775.
Catherine Pike (1726-1793)
John married Miss Catherine Pike who is the second of our portraits. Catherine, brought both a social and financial alliance, as she came with a considerable dowry of £4,000 which was a sizable fortune in the mid-18th century.
The Tatum family maintained strong connections within the medical and professional circles of the region. John’s sister Sarah Tatum married Nathaniel Still, an apothecary, in 1744 at Stourton Church.
John and Catherine’s grandson George Roberts Tatum (1808-1892) was also trained at St George’s Hospital and has links to Salisbury. He was a House surgeon at the Infirmary from November 1833 until 1841, then elected Surgeon Consultant and held this post until 1860. He was one of the original 300 Fellows who were awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons. He was also a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1845 but never received his diploma. He died at his residence in the Close on January 18th 1892 after a long period of failing health.
Portrait of Mr Tatum
Medium: The soft texture, rich colour blending and matte finish is created by pastel. This was a medium popular for portraiture in the mid-to-late 1700s, especially among professional and genteel sitters.
Clothing & Style: The subject wears a tricorn hat, powdered white wig and a golden-brown coat with a high-collared white cravat and waistcoat; this is typical of professional men or upper-middle-class individuals c. 1760–1780.
His double-breasted coat and neat, modest tailoring suggest a man of means, such as a surgeon, physician, or other professional – not aristocracy, but respectable and well-established.
Pose and Expression: The subject is in three-quarter profile, hands in waistcoat. His expression is composed, thoughtful and slightly introspective, indicating intellect or a serious vocation. The subtle flush on the cheeks and careful modelling of the facial features are hallmarks of skilled pastel artists of the era.
Why was a hand-in-waistcoat pose popular? What did it symbolise or is the artist not any good at painting hands?!
- Symbol of calm authority and gentility: The pose conveys composure, control and refinement. These qualities admired in gentlemen of the era. It was meant to reflect a self-assured but modest demeanour, avoiding exaggerated gestures.
- Influenced by classical antiquity: The pose has roots in ancient Roman statuary, where orators and statesmen are often depicted with a similar gesture (one hand partially concealed). During the Enlightenment, classical values like rationality, order and restraint were idealized. This pose embodied those ideals.
- Portraiture conventions: Artists used this pose to give the subject a natural yet dignified stance without having to paint expressive hand gestures (which were hard to render convincingly). It also created a pleasing triangular composition for the body, balancing the overall image.
- Fashion & practicality: In some cases, jackets and waistcoats had slits or folds that naturally encouraged resting a hand inside. Some men may also have done this casually and artists simply captured the gesture.
Examples of Use: Napoleon Bonaparte is famously depicted in this pose. Many British and European men such as clergy, doctors, merchants and politicians; they were painted this way, especially from 1730–1830. In pastel portraiture it adds a subtle elegance and minimizes distracting detail.
Portrait of Mrs Tatum
Medium: Again, this is a pastel portrait which has a soft texture and subtle colour transitions are typical of the style.
Framing: Both portraits have a gilded frame with rope-like moulding which is consistent with frames from the late 18th or early 19th century. It is possible that this would have been added slightly later than the portrait itself.
Clothing: She wears a white mob cap or lace-edged bonnet, which was common for respectable older or married women during the late 1700s. The black or dark shawl over a white gown or blouse is modest, yet fashionable which suggests respectability without ostentation. Her clothing and demeanour suggest a middle to upper-middle-class status, suitable for a professional’s wife, widow, or someone of some independent means.
Expression & pose: The expression is serene, thoughtful and slightly melancholic, hinting at age and experience. The sitter would have been 56 at the time of painting.
The eyes are rendered with great softness and realism, indicating the artist had a refined grasp of expression. The pose, with arms gently positioned and a possible knitting basket or bonnet brim in her lap, conveys domestic virtue, gentility and quiet confidence.
The basket or object in the lower left corner: It is a multi-coloured item may be a knitting or sewing basket, linking the sitter to industrious domesticity which was an admired feminine ideal of the time. Alternatively, it might be part of a hat or bonnet, folded or tilted in the lap. Its presence may have symbolic weight: femininity, diligence and domestic skill.
Both portraits have the signature M King dated 1782, the year before John’s death.
Two other pastel portraits by Margaret King survive today: one of an unknown lady, the other of Sarah Tatum (later Mrs Nathaniel Still of Salisbury). Sarah Tatum was sister to our sitter! Also to note Nathaniel Still was apothecary at the Infirmary at the same time as Mr Tatum.
Margaret King represents an important yet often overlooked chapter in the history of women’s professional artistry in Georgian England. Her consistent presence in the prestigious Royal Academy exhibitions—despite a short span—highlights a rare path for women in the art world of the late 18th century.
Her ability to command critical acclaim in crayon portraiture, alongside contemporaries situates her as a skilled technician within the pastel medium. Though only a small body of her work survives, those pieces attest to her refined technique and the esteem in which she was held by her peers and critics.
