This miniature painting of essayist, playwright, and editor Sir Richard Steele is attributed to George Ducket of Hartham, Wiltshire, M.P. Although Ducket is not known as a painter, he had a personal and political connection to Steele. They were friends and correspondents, and Ducket is known to have supported Steele in various public and political matters, particularly during Steele’s disputes with the Tory administration in the early 18th century. Their relationship extended into pamphleteering and literary politics, where Ducket’s sharp wit and satirical writing complemented Steele’s more polished prose. Both men used their pens to promote Whig causes, defend constitutional monarchy, and criticise perceived corruption or absolutism. Ducket’s alliance with Steele placed him among the circle of Whig writers and thinkers who shaped public opinion during the Hanoverian succession and the early reign of George I.