Wednesday 3 February 2016

Captain Thomas Hewitt, 10th Regiment of Foot, 1781

by William Tate (1748-1806), 1781. As a mark of his status as an officer, Hewitt wears a silver gorget around his neck. The 'wings' on the shoulders of his uniform distinguish him as a member of a light company; his light infantry cap is held in his left hand. He carries a fusil or light musket - a weapon frequently carried by light company officers which was usually privately purchased. Portraits of officers carrying such a weapon are rare. 
From here 


1 comment:

  1. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Hewitt portrait is that his rammer is wooden. The other ranks all had steel rammers, but the privately purchased officer's fusil came with a wooden one. And Hewitt's isn't the only portrait depicting that.

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