A three-quarter-length portrait, set on deck. Gore is turned to the left and shown wearing captain's (over three years) undress uniform, 1795-1812, with his coat buttoned across the throat and worn with white breeches. His right hand is on a long brown-cased telescope, itself resting on a gun carriage: his left is on the hilt a dress sword, with his hat to the right probably on the ship's gunwale. There is a sea fight in the left background.
Gore was promoted lieutenant in 1789 and served in the 'Victory' under Lord Hood at the taking of Toulon in 1793. In 1794 he was promoted to be captain in the 'Windsor Castle', 98 guns, flagship of Rear-Admiral Linzee. In autumn 1795 he was appointed to the 'Censeur', a French prize ordered home but on 7 October his convoy fell in with a squadron of six French ships of the line. The 'Censeur' was under jury rig, lost her fore-topmast while trying to wear ship, fell behind and was captured. In 1796 Gore was exchanged as a prisoner. He next commanded the frigate 'Triton' 32 guns with success and was one of the captains who received over £40,000 in prize money from the capture of two Spanish treasure ships off Cape Finisterre in 1799. In 1801 he transferred to the 'Medusa' in which he was present at the capture of two more Spanish treasure ships in October 1804, and a month later another Spaniard with a valuable cargo of mercury. In 1805 he was knighted and took out the Marquis Cornwallis to India in the 'Medusa'. Cornwallis soon died in India and 'Medusa' brought his body home in what was then considered a fast passage of 82 days from Calcutta to the Lizard (Cornwall). In 1806 Gore moved into the 'Revenge', 74, and later the 'Tonnant' 80, serving on the coast of Spain and Portugal co-operating with the army. He became a rear-admiral in 1813 and went to the Mediterranean in the 'Revenge', was made a KCB in the re-formed Order of the Bath in 1815, and was Commander-in-Chief in the Medway, 1818-21. A vice-admiral in 1825, he became C-in-C East Indies, 1831-35.
The sea fight in the background may recall one of Gore's minor engagements in the Mediterranean, or possibly that in which the 'Censeur' was captured. The picture was perhaps painted after his release from France in 1796 and before he took over the 'Triton'. Its width corresponds to that of a standard full-length so it has probably been cut down from that size. It was presented to the Museum by James Gore in 1968.