Figures in Russian (?) military uniform [Bray album]

No. 70 of 74 (PAJ1976 - PAJ2049)

The soldier on the right appears to have a Russian double-headed eagle on the cuff of his boot, while the dress of the civilian figure to the rear also suggests a Russian nobleman or rich merchant. The soldiers are also apparently cavalrymen from their boots and spurs. This is one four of the Bray drawings (PAF2045-2048) which have the distinctive 'frame', suggesting they have been transferred from another group. All are probably later than the main 1770s group both from the costume and style , which is more finished.

They are among 73 drawings by Bray (plus one signed 'NF 1782') preserved in a 19th-century album. They have now been separately remounted. Bray (1750-1823), was second lieutenant of the 44-gun ‘Pallas’ under Captain the Hon. William Cornwallis (1744-1819) – later a well-known admiral - on two voyages (1774-77) to report on British interests in West Africa, including the slave trade. The dated drawings refer only to the first of these, from December 1774 to September 1775, though a few may be from the second. Others comprise country views, some of Deal, Kent (where Bray may have come from), and others of social-history interest.