Captain c1796

Captain John Clayton Cowell entered the Royal Regiment in 1787 and had his portrait painted by Sir William Beechey c1796. He wears the dress coat which is faced dark blue and adorned with gold lace buttonholes in pairs. This is the normal coat, or frock, for parades; the more distinctive full dress embroidered coat was worn on special occasions. Captain Cowell has chosen to be portrayed as an officer prepared for duty, with his crimson silk waist sash, tied on the right side, and his gilt gorget. The white shirt ruffle conceals most of his neck but we can see that the blue stand-up collar has one button loop and the black stock around his neck shows no white shirt collar as in the 1795 portrait. He has a single gold epaulette on his right shoulder indicating that he commands a battalion company. The white waistcoat has gilt buttons and his white breeches also show eight gilt buttons at the knee. The shiny boots have been pushed down to his ankles. From 1768 black linen gaiters with stiff tops became universal, but the stiff tops were removed in 1784. Half gaiters were adopted by the light infantry companies in 1771 and other companies also wore them, particularly on service. The boots may not have been regulation for officers below field rank, but were permitted. He is shown in the act of sheathing his sword. This is slung from a white leather shoulder belt which has an oval gilt plate decorated with a silver Star of St Andrews and gilt centre, with crown above. This officer’s bicorn hat is not laced with gold, neither does it have a plume, only a black cockade. In the background, a tall soldier is walking away with a large object under his arm. His hat is white laced and has a black and white plume similar to that of the officer in the Dayes print of 1792. He has a lambskin backpack which was often worn by infantrymen in the 18th century. The tails of his coat have a small embroidered device on the point where the white turn-backs meet. The pocket flap is just visible with two buttonhole loops on one side. His bayonet hangs from one shoulder belt and a black ammunition pouch with a badge hangs from the other. He wears white gaiter trousers which were more usually worn on parade by the Guards regiments.