Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
- Artist: 'GWR'?
- Date: 1880
- Medium: watercolour
- Dimensions: 12 in. x 7 1/8 in. (305 mm x 181 mm)
- Portrays: Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
"Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts" is a small watercolor portrait by the artist listed as “GWR?.” In front of the canvas you see the field marshal in his full dress uniform. The brass buttons gleam against the subdued wash of blue‑grey fabric that covers his coat and waistcoat. He wears a feathered hat typical of a lieutenant-general, its brim slightly turned up.
The artist uses watercolor to render the light on Roberts’ face. His eyes are set at a slight angle, suggesting attentiveness, while the subtle shadows behind his beard give depth to the portrait’s small scale—12 by 7¼ inches. The canvas was printed in Vanity Fair on 10 April 1880, a time when Roberts was already hailed as a hero of India and Afghanistan.
Roberts fought in the 1857–58 Indian Rebellion and led the counter‑attack that captured Kabul after Louis Cavagnari’s men were massacred. He later received a state funeral in 1914, showing how the Empire revered its senior officers. In this tiny work you see both formal attire and the confident posture of a celebrated general.
See it in person
Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
