Thomas Henry Kavanagh VC, Assistant Commissioner in Oudh, Indian Civil Service, 1857

Oil on canvas, by Louis William Desanges, 1860 (c).

Thomas Henry Kavanagh (1821-1882) was the Assistant Commissioner in Oudh when the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) started. He became something of a national hero when he won the Victoria Cross (VC) on 9 November 1857 when he disguised himself and escaped from the besieged Residency at Lucknow in order to guide in the relieving force.

This painting is one of a series of 55 depicting Victoria Cross subjects executed between 1859 and 1862 by the British artist Louis Desanges, and displayed at the Crystal Palace during the 1860s and 1870s.