Officer c1738

Portrait of Viscount Southwell by C Gervas. It is rare to find a portrait of an officer in uniform at this early date. The red coat has gold lace around the edge of the collar and down the front. The right-hand edge of the coat has gilt buttons, just visible. The rest of the coat is quite plain. The way he stands prevents us from seeing his right shoulder which may have a gold and crimson aiguillette hanging from it. His blue cuffs are very large, edged in gold and three buttons. His red waistcoat is long and also edged in gold lace. A gilt gorget hangs round his neck, it has the coat of arms engraved on it. The crimson sash hangs from the right shoulder at this stage. It is difficult to see how his sword is attached to him but we can just see the hilt protruding from the coat tails. The tricorn hat under his arm is gold-laced and the black cockade is secured by a gold cord loop. The hair is unpowdered but tied back with a black ribbon. He holds a spontoon in his right hand and has light brown leather gauntlets. White gaiters cover his lower legs and are fastened with white buttons. We can just see that the breeches are red.

Uniforms | Regimental Details