Portrait of Alexander Pedler (1849-1918) Hal Hurst

Half-length portrait of Sir Alexander Pedler standing and leaning against a high-backed chair upon which is thrown an Indian, possibly Bengali, floral textile. Shown in full Imperial Civil Service uniform, with gold lace collar and cuffs, gold buttons and cavalry stripe. Pedler holds white gloves and helmet in his right hand, his left hand rests against his sword. There are two medals at his jacket breast: Companion, Order of the Indian Empire is to the left as viewed. Pedler is shown with a short beard with waxed moustache.

Alexander Pedler (1849-1918) British civil servant and chemist was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1892. Moved to India c.1873. Served as Imperial Meteorological Reporter to the Bengal Government, and later Professor of Chemistry at Presidency College, Kolkata.

The Imperial Civil Service, or Indian Civil Service, was a small elite, composed of officers appointed under Section XXXII of the 'Government of India Act of 1858', that took on the administrative duties previously upheld by the East India Company. It was, until the twentieth century, majority British in composition.