Lt. General Sir Richard Airey, KC.B. A good cdv of the early 1860s.

A very good carte de visite by Maull & Polyblank, Gracechurch Street & Piccadilly from a contemporary group of their photographs identified on the verso in pencil. The studio portrait shows Lt. General Sir Rchard Airey. KCB [1803-1881] full length seated, weaing military frock coat with his KCB and holding a general officer’s sword of the 1831 mameluke pattern.  He served initially in the 34th Foot, becoming Military Scretary to Lord Hardinge in the early 1850s before commanding a Brigade and becoming Lord Raglan’s QMG during the Crimean War. Notably he gave Lord Raglan’s order to charge to the Light Brigade. Although exonerated over charges of incompetence during the campaign he never fully recovered from these accusations. He was promotsed to and granted his KCB in 1862 qnd this portrait was probably taken just before he took up the post of Governor of Gibraltar in 1865. He was later raised to teh Peerage as 1st Baron Airey.     may24/1

The London photographer Maull & Polyblank had studios on Gracechurch Street and on Piccadilly. The firm began trading in around 1856 and continued under this name until 1865 after which it became known as Maull & Co.