Major General Wolfe

This uninspiring portrait of Major General James Wolfe by Thomas Gainsborough was almost certainly commissioned by the family of Katherine Lowther to celebrate her engagement to Wolfe in 1758, prior to his military expedition to kick the Frenchies out of Quebec. After a long siege, he captured Quebec City and became a hero, but caught three musket balls during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and died aged only 32, one year after his engagement. So he never married his fiancée. The portrait comes up at Bonhams Old Master Paintings Sale in London on 3 December, estimated at £120,000 to £180,000 (CLICK).