I have recently received this black and white portrait of my 3 x great grandfather Stephen WATTS, and was wondering if it is possible to colourize it?
His uniform was identified by a Professor of History on another Forum, and his comments of the colour follow. I have also attached a colour portrait of another officer (WREN)of a similar Invalid Company who is mentioned in the comments below.
Comments regarding the portrait; "Watts is clearly garbed in a uniform. Judging from the tall rise-and-fall collar on his coat and the slightly frizzed sides of his hairstyle, he must have sat for this portrait toward the end of the 1780s while he commanded the Jersey Invalid Company. Invalid officers wore scarlet coats with blue facings. Their buttons were gilt and they were entitled to sport a gold epaulette on the right shoulder. The design of Watts’ all-gold epaulette is definitely post-American War. In some Invalid Companies, the officers displayed rectangular loops made of gold lace on their buttonholes, while others had plain buttonholes. A circa 1775 portrait of Colonel Jordan Wren of the 41st Foot (Regiment of Invalids), shows gold lace edging the facings on his coat (see Redcoat Images, No. 929). Wren’s portrait is seen below beside Watts’. There could be a glimpse of gold lace edging running along the right side of Watts’ coat collar. Watts has buttoned his coat’s lapels across his breast, hiding his waistcoat. We can see, however, that he wears a white ruffled shirt with a white roller. His hair is powdered and worn clubbed with moderately frizzed sides
Thanks
Les
