• Title
  Capt. Francis Rossi / of Goulburn [member of the Rossi family, possibly Alexander Philip Rossi, ca. 1845-1855] - miniature portrait
• Call number
  MIN 87
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  ca. 1845-1855
• Type of material
  Graphic Materials, Watercolours
• Reference code
  440270
• Issue Copy
  Digitised
• Physical Description
  Drawings - 1 watercolour on ivory miniature - 8 x 6 cm.
  
• ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
  
  The inscription "Capt. Francis Rossi" found on the reverse of this miniature has been understood to mean Francis Nicholas Rossi (1776-1851) or his son Francis Robert Louis Rossi (1823-1903), but costume and dating suggest the subject could be Francis R. L. Rossi's brother, Alexander Philip Rossi (1825-1855). The bugle design visible on the shoulder belt plate or epaulette indicates that the uniform is that of the 51st (2nd Yorkshire, West Riding) Light Infantry Regiment, which served in Australia 1838-1846. Alexander Rossi joined the regiment as an ensign in May 1842 and retired upon the sale of his commission as lieutenant in October 1851. That he was never a captain is at odds with the inscription. Francis Rossi, father and son, held the rank of captain but were never in the 51st Regiment. For Francis Nicholas Rossi to have been the sitter's age would imply too early a dating of the miniature. His son Francis Robert Louis Rossi had no military career before purchasing his commission as captain in the Goulburn Volunteer Rifle Corps in 1869. If Alexander is the subject, the wedding ring on his left hand dates the miniature between 1854, when his marriage to Catherine Smith is registered in Victoria, and his death in February 1855. It would also mean he posed or was depicted in uniform some 3 years after retiring from the army.
• Scope and Content
  The man in this portrait sits on a chair beside a table that supports a black cap and wears military dress that comprises a red double-breasted jacket with epaulettes and gold braid, a black silk cravat, white waistcoat with shawl collar over a white linen shirt, and a gold fob and wedding ring.
• Access Conditions
  
  Access via appointment
• General note
  
  Titled from inscription on paper label affixed to reverse
  Unsigned
  Undated
  Accompanying the drawing is a non-contemporaneous bakelite rectangular label with black print that identifies the subject of the portrait.
  A portrait of Francis Robert Louis Rossi is located in the Illustrated Sydney News, January 1874, pp. 4-5.
  Digital order no:a128816
• Name
  Rossi, Alexander Philip, 1825-1855
  Rossi, Francis Robert Louis, 1823-1903
  
• Subject
  Adult Males
  
• Topic
  miniatures
  portraits
  
• Exhibited in
  
  Vive la difference! : the French in NSW - State Library of New South Wales (7 June - 10 October, 2004)

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