Thomas Paine, 1772

Thomas Paine was born in Norfolk in 1737. Whilst internationally he grew to be the most well-known of all the figures portrayed in Hidden, he remains largely unrecognised in Britain.

Paine was an active writer, social commentator and contemporary of Mary Wollstonecraft. Indeed the two had met and become friends early in their careers.However, Paine spent more time overseas than Wollstonecraft and had an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time.

In 1772 he published his first political work, a pamphlet called The Case of the Officers of Excise when working as an excise officer in Sussex. This called for better pay and working conditions for his fellow excise officers.

Two years later, in 1774, he moved to America where he caused a stir with his publication Common Sense (1776). This attacked the British Monarchy and called for American Independence. It was a best-seller and a key work in inspiring the American Revolution. His writings would continue to inspire his American contemporaries who saw him as a highly intelligent individual and a darling of the new ‘enlightened’ era.

Paine’s passion for following revolutionary movements would see him spend a great deal of time in France during and after their Revolution. Again, like Wollstonecraft, he did not observe these events quietly. He even gained French citizenship and campaigned tirelessly to uphold the radical republican democratic ideals he held so dear.

Paine’s best known work was published in two parts between 1791 and 1792, it was entitled simply Rights of Man. Paine believed events in France signified the beginning of a new democratic world, which would reject the old ideas of power based on tradition, religion and superstition. He believed these would be replaced with the more admirable principles of equality, opportunity and accountability. He would also call for welfare benefits such as pensions and maternity support for mothers, which he believed,

could dramatically improve the lives of the working class and their level of political engagement.

Although arrested and imprisoned in 1793 while campaigning in France he was still able to spread his message through further books and publications. In 1794 he published The Age of Reason which proved to be his most controversial work yet. He attacked organised religion, particularly Christianity. He also went as far as to state that the Bible was not the definitive word of God. The book understandably proved too much for some and offended a number of Paine’s supporters on both sides of the Atlantic. In hindsight, it was an incredibly brave work for him to release at this time.

Paine died in 1809 in poor conditions while living in New York. He spent his final years suffering from depression and alcoholism. While Paine drifted towards obscurity in Britain, his reputation in America has only grown since his death. He is now considered one of the ‘fathers’ of American Independence and was quoted by Barack Obama in his inauguration speech as President in 2009.

Although Thomas Paine would go on to write •many important works still referenced today, Red Saunders has chosen to capture him in Norfolk as a young man before he has left England.

1772 is the year Paine wrote his first publication •The Case of the Officers of Excise, which demanded better pay and working conditions for his fellow excise officers.

Paine is dressed suitably for a man of his stature •and pictured with a sword. This remained common for gentlemen of the period, particularly for someone in his position enforcing the law.

Unlike other artworks in the • Hidden exhibition, Paine is pictured alone in a forest. His greatest achievements and many supporters are not yet part of his life but there is a suitable sense of grandeur in his pose and the hint of a smile. This acknowledges that the essence of what made the man is present even in his youth.

What can you see in this photograph?•

Paine is pictured on horseback and with a hunting •dog, what does this tell us about him?

Do his clothes give us any clues about him as a •man or his status?

What do you think his expression shows us?•

Why is there a road reaching off into the distance, •does it give us any clues about his life?

Key discussion questionsThe image explained

‘A nation under a well-regulated government, should permit none to remain uninstructed. It is monarchical and aristocratical government only that requires ignorance for its support’.

Rights of Man, Part 2, 1792, Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine, 1772 © Red Saunders courtesy Impressions Gallery