Guardsman Higgins

A label on the reverse of the picture identifies the sitter as Guardsman Higgins and claims that he was the artist's favourite model. In the early nineteenth century soldiers often supplemented their income by modelling privately and at the Royal Academy. Soldiers were thought by some artists to make ideal models, not only because of their good physiques but also because they were able to maintain a pose for lengthy periods. One of the best known soldier-models was Samuel Strowger, who began to pose at the Royal Academy in the early nineteenth century while still in the Life Guards, and was painted by Constable, Wilkie, and Etty.