This miniature is entitled 'George Henry Towry (1767-1809)'. It is executed in watercolour and gum arabic on ivory. Towry, son of the significant naval official George Phillips Towry (see BHC3058), was educated at Eton and joined the Navy in 1770, aged 13. With good connections, he served with success through the War of American Independence and, in the French Revolutionary War, distinguished himself in command of the frigate 'Dido'. On 24-25 June 1795 in the western Mediterranean, in company with the frigate 'Lowestoffe', he fought the French frigates 'Minerve' and 'Artémise', capturing the former and driving off the latter. At the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797 he was in command of the 'Diadem', frigate, but later had to go ashore for health reasons and served during the Napoleonic War on the Transportation Board. He died of natural causes at his father's London house in April 1809. Here he is shown with probably powdered rather than grey hair, wearing 1795-1812 captain's full-dress uniform over a white shirt and black neck-cloth, with what is meant to be his captain's gold medal for St Vincent (although the plain blue ribbon is wrong).This miniature is mounted together with 26 others, however, the velvet covered mount is very lightly damaged. [PvdM amended 12/15]