Anne Luttrell (1743–1808), Duchess of Cumberland

Anne Luttrell, Duchess of Cumberland, depicted around 1773 and at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, was — alongside Lady Elizabeth Foster and the various Byron entanglements — one of the most notorious figures in the complicated romantic history of the Georgian aristocracy. Her secret marriage in 1771 to Henry Duke of Cumberland, George III's brother, had been one of two royal marriages that directly provoked the Royal Marriages Act of 1772. Anne was the sister-in-law of Henry Luttrell, the satirical poet who was a significant figure in Whig political circles, and her family connections gave her a social leverage that somewhat mitigated the royal family's hostility. Gainsborough's portrait at 71.5 by 59.5 centimeters is a relatively intimate scale for a Duchess, reflecting her complicated social position — neither fully accepted by the court nor entirely excluded from fashionable society. The Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight preserves this portrait in a collection assembled by Lord Lever that included major British portraits from across the Georgian period; its presence there alongside more conventionally celebrated subjects allows Anne Luttrell's complex social identity to be set in its proper historical context.

Gainsborough's treatment of the Duchess is warmly flattering, with luminous skin tones and an elegant, graceful pose that asserts her dignity as a woman of beauty and breeding, whatever the court's opinion of her marriage. The fluid brushwork and sophisticated palette demonstrate his full London maturity.