Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell was Surveyor-General of New South Wales from 1828 to his death in 1855. He was a larger-than-life character whose passions included the study of fossils, poetry and the mechanical and scientific arts. The Library holds many of the maps, notebooks and detailed sketches and watercolours he produced over his lifetime.

This painting shows Mitchell in the uniform of Major of the 1st Rifle Brigade of the 95th Regiment, complete with whistle used to direct the movement of his troops.