William Windham II in the Uniform of a Hussar (oil on canvas)

William Windham II (1717-61) Full-length portrait of a man in a red uniform supposed to be that of Maria Theresa's Hussars, with a fur cape and hat. He holds a halberd in his right hand, rocks behind. This portrait seems to have given rise to the legend that, when on his travels (1738-42), Windham served as an officer in the Empress Maria Theresa's regiment of Hungarian Hussars. This is inherently improbable, but the complete nature of his costume here suggests more than fancy dress, and that he actually possessed the real thing. It may be another indication that he did get as far as Vienna and Hungary. After Maria Theresa's coronation as Queen of Hungary in 1741, the Hungarians became her stoutest defenders, and the Hussars popular symbols of this for her English allies.