Painted by Edward Bower, sometime before he died of an infection resulting from a gangrenous foot in 1648. Ferdinando second Lord Fairfax of Cameron was member of parliament for Boroughbridge and fought on the side of Parliament during the war. His son Thomas was the famous parliamentary commander. He has put aside his armour in this picture and seemingly embraced peace in his civilian clothes, although it could also symbolise the fact that he was relieved of army duties by the Self Denying Ordinance of December 1644. He is wearing a sleeved cloak which has a complicated arrangement of buttons and loops allowing it to be worn as a coat or a cloak with a hanging collar which you can see unbuttoned on his right side. Presumably it’s just about to fall off. He’s wearing it over a white doublet with plain cuffs and band of good quality linen. The portrait hangs in the York Museums Trust collection.
The 1640s Picturebook 
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