Designed for portability or private display in the home, this smaller-sized portrait, contrasts markedly with the larger scale portraits produced for public display. In this portrait Governor King wears a naval captain’s dress uniform. After epaulettes were introduced in 1795 they became a primary means of determining the rank of an officer.

As Governor, Philip Gidley King was pivotal in shaping the early colony. He influenced regulation of prices, wages, hours of work and convict employment. He encouraged exploration, construction of public buildings, agriculture and local industries, including whaling and coal mining.