Representing Britishness: Hodges's British subjects

Throughout his career, in between his long periods abroad, Hodges travelled through and painted the British landscape. Prior to the voyage with Cook, these works consisted predominantly of architectural views, either of london or of country seats associated with his friend and colleague at the Society of Artists, the architect James Paine. Farington states that, during the late 1760s, Hodges spent some time as a theatrical scene painter in Derby, where it is likely that he got to know Joseph Wright of Derby. Wright subsequently painted a portrait of a 'Mrs. Hodges', thought to be Hodges's first wife, Martha Nesbit.