Henry Paget (1768-1854), 2nd Earl of Uxbridge and 1st Marquess of Anglesey

Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge and later 1st Marquess of Anglesey, was the most celebrated British cavalry commander of the Napoleonic Wars, who led the famous charge of the Household and Union Brigades at Waterloo and famously lost his leg to one of the last cannon shots of the battle. Shee's portrait presents him in military dress appropriate to his legend, capturing the aristocratic ease of a cavalry officer whose bravado approached recklessness. Uxbridge's famous exchange with Wellington after losing his leg — both men commenting on the matter with phlegmatic calm — became a set piece of Waterloo mythology.

Shee presents the aging hero with appropriate military dignity in a formal portrait composition. The careful rendering of military dress and decorations follows the conventions of official military portraiture that Shee maintained as Academy president.