A Portrait [Sir David Dundas]

This is the first of two issues of a crudely-drawn print based on an amateur sketch of Sir David Dundas, who was appointed Colonel of the 7th Light Dragoons in December 1795.

Dundas was already well known among the ranks of the army for his writings on military training and troop deployment. The best known of these, Principles of Military Movements, originally published in 1788, had seen a second edition in September 1795. So the presence of the encampment and arrayed troops in the background of the print is likely intended to help in identifying him.

The portrait is crudely executed. The figure of Dundas himself is flat and unexpressive and he sits awkwardly upon his horse. As the British Museum notes, the print is almost certainly based on an amateur drawing, for we know from prints like Georgey a' Cock-Horse (1796) and How to Ride with Elegance thro' the Streets (1800), that Gillray was perfectly capable of producing a much better formed and credible horse and rider than we see here.

So far as I know, the drawing has not been preserved. My suspicion is that, like the A Military Sketch of a Gilt Stick, or Poker Emblazoned, the amateur drawing in this case was supplied by Thomas Braddyll (1776-1862), who was trained to the military, had aspirations as an artist, and was about 20 years old at the time.

The print was reissued unchanged except for the date and publication address on March 17, 1809 by Hannah Humphrey who had moved from New Bond Street to St James's Street since the original issue in 1796. That reissue was almost certainly prompted by the news in March of 1809 of the appointment of Dundas as Commander in Chief replacing the Duke of York who had been forced to resign over the Mary Anne Clarke scandal.

Sources and Reading

• Commentary from the British Museum on A Portrait [Sir David Dundas].
• "David Dundas (British Army officer)," Wikipedia
• "Thomas Braddyll," A History of Parliament