This group portrait was Hals's first major commission, and with it, he made his mark within the tradition of civic guard portraiture in Haarlem. Hals had to compete with the town's established portrait painters, especially Frans Pietersz de Grebber (1573-1649) and Cornelis Engelsz. (1574/1575-1650)2 For his officers’ banquet, Hals based himself on the one by Cornelis Cornelisz which was completed in 1599 (cat.no. 95).

Hals’s artistic innovation in the present painting lay in the astonishing authenticity with which he achieved to represent a ceremony where the hierarchy of the participants, their positioning and their individual appearance were mostly predetermined. In addition, the depiction of these people was defined by their self-conception as representatives of the town's elite.

Traditionally, there were two civic guards in Haarlem, the St George civic guard the arquebusiers or cluveniers under the patron saint of St Adrian. In 1611 both were increased to three companies each. The officers were chosen by the municipal authorities from members of Haarlem’s most prestigious families, with a service period of three years. When a term ended, the town organized a banquet and commissioned a group portrait, serving as a memorial image for the persons of rank.

Portrayed are the officers serving in the St George civic guard from 1612 to 1615. After 1611 both urban militias, consisting of the St George Civic Guard and that of the Calivermen were enlarged with a third company whereby the total number rose from four to six. Each company consisted of four platoons and counted 100 or more men. The captain of the third company, Jacob Laurensz (no. 5) – the section to which Hals also belonged as a militiaman – occupies a place of honour in the painting: he sits at the head of the table together with the colonel and the provost.

An officer corps of the Haarlem militia was instituted as of the enlargement in 1612 and counted a colonel, a provost (who maintained order and oversaw the finances), three captains and three lieutenants.The town council appointed the officers for a period of three years, after which they stepped down and had to wait at least one term before they could be reappointed.