Charles Shaw-Lefevre (1794–1888), 1st Viscount Eversley, in the Uniform of the Hampshire Carabiniers

Robert Herdman was one of Scotland's most capable Victorian painters, working primarily in historical genre and portraiture from his Edinburgh base. This 1875 portrait of Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley, depicts a distinguished political figure — former Speaker of the House of Commons — in the uniform of the Hampshire Carabiniers, a yeomanry cavalry regiment. Military portraits of this type served the dual function of recording an individual and honoring their service, and the combination of political eminence and military uniform made for a particularly prestigious commission.

Herdman renders the military uniform with attention to its distinctive elements while placing the aged sitter's face at the emotional center of the composition. The interplay of formal dress and aged countenance creates a dignified, historically weighted image characteristic of Victorian official portraiture.