The Ayrshire Yeoman

Reverse painted on convex glass with gold and silver highlights and scratched out detailing, this silhouette is by the hand of Mrs Elizabeth Hudson. It depicts a young officer from the Ayrshire Yeomanry wearing a Tarleton helmet with the letters AYRSHIR visible on the brim. He has an epaulette and his cross belt appears to have decorative initials on the badge.

The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick’s Own) Yeomanry was raised in 1793 by The Earl of Cassillis making this one of the earliest portraits connected to the regiment.

The silhouette is housed in a locket frame with a painted monogram of the sitter’s initials on the reverse.

Elizabeth Hudson (née Chilcot) was multi-talented. Born in 1753, she initially worked in her father’s jewellery shop specialising in hairwork settings for portrait miniatures. Following her marriage in 1777 she and her husband joined a touring theatrical company with Elizabeth doing comic sketches and singing on stage. Alongside she began to paint silhouettes on glass, later adding wax modelling to her skill set. Her final career move in retirement was to open a school though she may not have had enough response to her adverts to proceed with this venture.