ARTHUR WILLIAM DEVIS (LONDON 1762-1822)

Devis' sitter can be identified as a Field Officer of the 14th Buckinghamshire Regiment of Foot - nicknamed the 'Old and Bold' - by his uniform, which is of a pattern dating to the period 1812-1816. The crown on his epaulet shows that he held the rank of Lieutenant, the fact that his hat has a white plume indicates that he was of a centre-line company - one that would be in the line of battle. It is probably that the present portrait dates to 1813, when the regiment was sent to Sambas in Borneo to put an end to the piracy that was rife there; this would explain the inclusion of the palm tree to the sitter's left.