Unidentified British Navy Officer

John Wollaston

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a portrait of a man from the waist up. He faces slightly left, his left hand on his hip, and his right hand holding a long wooden staff. He has a fair complexion, dark eyes, a rounded face, and dark, curly hair styled in an 18th-century fashion. He wears a blue coat with gold embroidery over a white garment with gold detailing. The coat has wide sleeves with white frilled cuffs and buttons. In the background, there is a hazy seascape with a ship on the right flying a flag, implying a naval context. The backdrop consists of muted blues and browns.