Infantry officers resting in Hyde Park, 1780

Sepia, wash and pencil drawing by Paul Sandby, 1780.

Two officers are depicted seated on the ground, one of them in a darker coatee sketching, perhaps the artist himself, who was at the time Chief Drawing Master at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich (1768-1797). Two other officers stand to the right, leaning against a large crate, and behind two curricles (covered wagons) and two gigs are visible. Troops were encamped in several London parks following the Gordon Riots of 1780.