John Russell (1745-1806) Portrait of Major-General Fawcett (1750-1827)

John Russell (1745-1806)

Portrait of Major-General Fawcett (1750-1827)

Pastel on paper c.1785; held in carved gitwood frame.

Dimensions refer to outer framed size.

Provenance: By family descent; acquired by E. M. Hodgkins, dealer and sold Christies 16th Feb 1907, lot 19, bought by Sabin, dealer; purchased by F. de Ribes Christofle and later sold Gallerie Georges Petit, Paris 10-11th Dec 1928, lot 50. Later sold Schoeller Galleria, Paris 21st June 1963, lot 30. William H Schab Gallery New York, exhibited 1969. No.20. English private collection.

Eldest son and namesake of General Sir William Fawcett (1727-1804). Commissioned in the 3rd Guards, he became aide-de-camp to General Kneiphausen, commander of the Hessian troops in the American war. He married Catherine Moore of Philadelphia while in America during the Revolutionary Wars. Later he became adjutant-general of Ireland, then quartermaster-general to the forces in Ireland and governor of Limerick 1804 till his death.

He came from a long-established Yorkshire family which appear to have gained status immeasurably by the military efforts of his father Sir William Fawcett, K.B., (1727-1804) in the eighteenth century. A brilliant military strategist and fluent linguist he proved significant in raising over 30,000 German troops under Frederick the Great to fight with Britain in the American Wars. At the same time his father achieved this, Fawcett, as a Captain, came with his regiment to America and was aide-de-camp to General Kneiphausen in the final year of conflict. After the evacuation of Philadelphia, von Knyphausen’s troops led the vanguard of the British forces as they relocated to New York City. For the remainder of the war he and his men guarded upper Manhattan eventually taking control of the combined British and Hessian garrison on the departure of Sir Henry Clinton. By then most of the theater of war had shifted to the South. When the war ended after the Siege of Yorktown and the capitulation of Cornwallis’s Army, Knyphausen returned home in 1782.

Fawcett found a bride during this harsh conflict and sired two sons who also forged careers in both the army and navy. His father’s career flourished greatly, with him ineffect becoming head of the British army. When he died in 1804 the future King of England (George IV) attended the funeral. Undiminished by his illustrious father's success, Fawcett went on to become a Major-General and obtained important military positions in Ireland. He died in Southampton in 1826.

On stylistic grounds John Russell appears to have drawn this portrait of Fawcett after his return from the American Wars and it probably depicts him in the attire of aide-de-camp. Typical colouring and liveliness of sketching together with an angled posture presents us with an engaging image of a notable army officer. In the past this portrait has been mistaken for that of the sitter’s more famous namesake – his father. The physiognomy and apparent age of the sitter, compared to the father and his many known portraits, support the view that this is an erroneous assumption. Fortunately, the definite provenance makes it clear that only from the 20th century has the confusion occurred when, as is so often the case in families, the illustrious father of the same name was assumed the sitter. This confusion still results in complicated misunderstandings in research as the life of the son is much less documented than that of the father.