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Isabella Wolff
Thomas Lawrence·1803–15
Historical Context
Lawrence's Isabella Wolff (1803–15) at the Art Institute of Chicago demonstrates his romantic portrait style — the loose, painterly technique, the warm atmospheric lighting, and the sense of emotional accessibility that distinguished him from Reynolds's more formal Grand Manner. Lawrence had become the dominant British portraitist after Reynolds's death in 1792, his combination of dazzling technique and romantic sensibility making him the natural painter for the Regency aristocracy and the diplomatic world of post-Napoleonic Europe. His female portraits in particular were celebrated for their combination of beauty, elegance, and a psychological warmth that made the sitter feel not merely documented but genuinely seen.
Technical Analysis
Lawrence's brilliant technique creates an image of extraordinary refinement and animation. The face is modeled with warm, glowing flesh tones, and the costume is handled with the fluid, confident brushwork that distinguished his portraiture.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice Lawrence's loose, animated brushwork: where Reynolds built up glazed layers, Lawrence applied paint with energetic confidence.
- ◆Look at the warm atmospheric lighting that gives the sitter a romantic glow rather than Reynolds's more formal tonal drama.
- ◆Observe the eyes: Lawrence was famous for painting eyes with extraordinary depth and emotional intensity, and this portrait demonstrates his gift.
- ◆Find the fluid handling of the dress and hair: Lawrence's costume painting has a physical spontaneity that Reynolds's more considered technique lacked.
Provenance
Commissioned by the sitter’s sister, Mrs. Walter (Clarissa) Hill, The Rocklands, near Goodrich, Herefordshire, 1802 or 1803 [see New York 1879]; possibly given to her by the artist, 1815 [information based on a label once on the back of the frame: “Portrait of Mrs. Wolff painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence and respectfully presented to her sister Mrs. Hill 1815 T L;” the label was transcribed by Walter Guy Hill, owner of the portrait, in a manuscript account of the history of the work, dated February 29, 1904, copy in curatorial file]; by descent to her son, the Rev. Walter Henry Hill (died 1867); on loan to his sister, Mrs. Robert (Isabella) Coke (died 1870), South Lodge, Newland, Gloucestershire, 1846-70; by descent to the Rev. Hill’s son, Walter Guy Hill (died 1906), Monmouth [see manuscript citied above and Major Peter Hill’s letter, dated January 27, 1982, copy in curatorial file]; probably sold between 1904 and 1906 [the painting was not mentioned in Walter Guy Hill’s will]. Mrs. W. W. Kimball (died 1921), Chicago by 1920; on loan to the Art Institute in 1920-21; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1922.
See It In Person
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Anna Maria Dashwood, later Marchioness of Ely
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The Calmady Children (Emily, 1818–?1906, and Laura Anne, 1820–1894)
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Portrait of the Honorable George Canning, M.P.
Thomas Lawrence·c. 1822
