HODGES, WILLIAM, was born in London about tho year )744. His father was a blacksmith, and kept a chop in St. James's Market. Ile attended Shipley's drewing school when very young, and became afterwards the pupil of Wilson the landscape-painter. He painted decorations for theatres, landscapes, and architectural views ; among the latter a view of the interior of the Pantheon, Oxfordestrect, which was burnt down on January 14th, 1792.
In 1772 Hodges accompanied Captain Cook as draftsman on his second voyage to the South Seas ; and his drawings were published in Cook's narrative. After the completion of this work he went to India, where, under the patronage of Warren Hastings, he realised a con siderable fortune, and returned to London in 1784. About 3790 he made a tour on the continent of Europe, visiting Russia; and he exhibited a view of St. Petersburg at the Royal Academy in 1793. In 1795, finding that his Indian fortune was diminishing instead of increasing, he established a bank at Dartmouth in Devonshire, which however broke two years afterwards in consequence of the devastations of the French in Newfoundland. The shock brought on the death of Hodges on the 6th of March ; and his wife (his third) died a few months afterwards. Ile was elected a member of the Royal Academy
in 1787.
Hodges was not a painter of great ability ; in style he imitated Wilson, but with little success. His best works are—a view of Windsor from the great park, and three or four views painted in India. Ile painted also two or three historical pieces for Boydelfs Shakapere. His last works were two ordinary landscapes illustrating the effects of peace and war, which he exhibited with twenty-three others, one of which was a largo view of Falconet'a equestrian statue of Peter the Great at St. Petersburg, in Old Bond-street; one of his companion pictures was a seaport in prosperity, the other was the same view devastated by fire and sword. These two pictures, which have been engraved, are now in Sir John Soane's museum. Several of the works of Hodges have been engraved ; he himself executed a set of Indian views in aqnatinta, which he dedicated to the East India Company. Ile published also an account of his travels in India, with plates.