Portrait miniature believed to be of Colonel John Hutchinson, 1659

Colonel John Hutchinson was the husband of Lucy Hutchinson, one of the most important women writers of the 17th Century. A firm believer in the Parliamentarian cause, Colonel Hutchinson was Governor of Nottingham Castle during the English Civil War, and saw active duty in several sieges and battles.

Lucy Hutchinson wrote The Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson from diaries and notebooks she kept during the war. Her intent was to provide their children a clear portrayal of their father, for Colonel Hutchinson was regicide, and imprisoned upon the restoration of Charles II. He died in prison and the manuscript was subsequently published by a descendent of the family. Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson is noted for its depiction of a man who stood firm for his principles and integrity, who lived through one of the most dangerous times in English history.

This portrait, held in a private collection with direct familial links to Lucy Hutchinson and believed to be of Colonel John Hutchinson, is inscribed with the date of 1659, and is one of a pair, with the other believed to be of his wife, Lucy Hutchinson. It is dated just one year before the end of the eleven-year interregnum of parliamentary rule, and the restoration of Charles II.