Portrait of Lt. Col. George Hastings, half-length, in uniform, a tricorn hat under his left arm

The sitter was the second son of Henry Hastings (b. 1687) and his wife, Elizabeth Hudson. Together with his elder brother, Theophilus Hastings, he was taken under the protection of Theophilus, 9th Earl of Huntingdon, and educated with the latter's son, Francis, Lord Hastings, later 10th Earl of Huntingdon (see lot 20). He subsequently entered the army and attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the 3rd regiment of foot-guards. In 1769 he married Sarah, daughter of Colonel Thomas Hodges, by whom he had three sons. The first two died unmarried and the third, Hans Francis (b. 1779), claimed the title of 11th Earl of Huntingdon in 1819.