Unknown - portrait of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge

This miniature portrait was described by the seller only as "Victorian miniature portrait of a military gentleman", but it has been possible to determine the identity of the sitter as Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (26 Mar 1819 – 17 Mar 1904).

The miniature is unsigned and unfortunately it seems the artist used a fugitive red colour for the jacket, which has changed to a dark red-brown over time, with traces of bright red only apparent at the extreme edges where the frame covered the paint.

To try and identify the sitter, it was noted that the sitter is wearing the blue sash of the Order of the Garter. Therefore a search of holders of the order was the first step.

There is a list of all holders of this decoration at List of the Knights of the Garter (1348-present) It looks a dauntingly long list to work through, but by taking a stab at 19C holders who appeared to be soldiers, the first guess turned out to be correct and was confirmed by comparison with other images of the Duke of Cambridge, including the photo here taken in 1890 of him in full dress uniform.

A kind fellow researcher has indicated they agree with the attribution. It seems unlikely the miniature was painted from life, but no source has been located to date. Nevertheless, given his apparent age it must have been painted at the end of the 19C. Perhaps for Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897 or the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.

Prince George was born at Cambridge House in Hanover, Germany. His father was Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the 10th child and 7th son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Like his father, he embarked upon a military career. In November 1837, after he had served for a short time in the Hanoverian army, he received the rank of colonel in the British Army. He was attached to the staff at Gibraltar from October 1838 to April 1839. After serving in Ireland with the 12th Royal Lancers (the Prince of Wales's), he was appointed colonel of the 17th Light Dragoons (now Lancers), in April 1842. From 1842 to 1845, he served as a colonel on the staff in the Ionian islands.

The Duke of Cambridge became Inspector of the Cavalry in 1852. He held that post until 1854, when, upon the outbreak of the Crimean War, he received command of the 1st Division (Guards and Highland brigades) of the British army in the East. In June 1854, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. He was present at the battles of the Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman, and at the siege of Sevastopol.

On 5 July 1856, the Duke was appointed general commanding-in-chief of the British Army; a post that was retitled commander-in-chief of the forces by Letters Patent in 1887. In that capacity he served as the chief military advisor to the Secretary of State for War, with responsibility for the administration of the army and the command of forces in the field. He was promoted to the rank of field marshal on 9 November 1862.

The Duke of Cambridge was the longest serving head of the British Army, serving as commander-in-chief for 39 years. He was forthright in his reluctance to adopt change: "There is a time for everything, and the time for change is when you can no longer help it."

However, over time, there were increasing calls for change and in 1890 a royal commission led by Lord Hartington (later the 8th Duke of Devonshire) criticized the administration of the War Office.

The Duke of Cambridge was forced to resign his post on 1 November 1895, when he was succeeded by Lord Garnet Wolseley (1833-1913) , whose duties were considerably modified, see View and as seen in this miniature in this collection.

The Duke of Cambridge made no secret of his view that "arranged marriages were doomed to failure." He married privately and in contravention of the 1772 Royal Marriages Act at St. John's Church, Clerkenwell, London on 8 January 1847 to Sarah Fairbrother (1816-12 January 1890), the ninth child and fifth daughter of John Fairbrother, a partner in a family printing firm in Bow Street.

Sarah Fairbrother became an actress in 1830, performing at Drury Lane, the Lyceum, and Covent Garden Theatre. She is shown here as Abdullah in 1848. As can be imagined it was highly unusual to see a woman's legs in the middle of the 19C.

As the marriage did not exist in British law, the Duke's wife was never titled Duchess of Cambridge nor accorded the style Her Royal Highness. Instead, she was known as "Mrs. FitzGeorge." She was not regarded as a member of the British Royal Family.

The Duke was distraught by her death, leading the mourning at her burial in Kensal Green Cemetery, and regularly marking the anniversary of her death. The Duke of Cambridge and Mrs. FitzGeorge had three sons, two of whom were born before their marriage, invalid as a result of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, and all of whom pursued military careers.

Like many members of royalty, the Duke possessed an important collection of snuff boxes. After the Duke's death a Louis XV gold snuff box from his collection was sold at auction for £ 2000. 1315