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Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

(1717-1797), Field Marshal

Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 7 portraits
Amherst was responsible for a series of sweeping victories against the French during the Seven Years War (1758-60). These led to the British conquest of Canada, with Amherst establishing the county's military government. His career was not without controversy, owing to his harsh treatment of the Mi'kmaq Indians of Nova Scotia. The most contentious episode was during the Mi'kmaq Indian Pontiac War (1763) when Amherst, in an attempt to put down the uprising, ordered the distribution of smallpox-infected blankets among the Indians. The Pontiac War encouraged the British government to keep a standing army in North America, a measure that provoked colonial resistance in the lead up to the American War of Independence (1775-83).

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Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, by Thomas Gainsborough - NPG 150

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

by Thomas Gainsborough
oil on canvas, feigned oval, circa 1780
On display in Room 10 on Floor 3 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 150

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, by James Watson, published by  John Boydell, published by  Josiah Boydell, after  Sir Joshua Reynolds - NPG D7002

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

by James Watson, published by John Boydell, published by Josiah Boydell, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
mezzotint, 1766
NPG D7002

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, by James Sayers, published by  Charles Bretherton - NPG D9592

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

by James Sayers, published by Charles Bretherton
etching, published 6 April 1782
NPG D9592

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, by James Scott, published by  Henry Graves, after  Thomas Gainsborough - NPG D15068

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

by James Scott, published by Henry Graves, after Thomas Gainsborough
mezzotint, published 1874 (circa 1785)
NPG D15068

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