Elizabeth Allen (Mrs Josiah Wedgwood II) (1764–1846)

Elizabeth Allen married Josiah Wedgwood II, son of the famous potter and industrialist, in 1792, making her the daughter-in-law of one of Britain's most celebrated manufacturers. George Romney's 1795 portrait, now in the V&A Wedgwood Collection, was painted three years into the marriage when Elizabeth would have been about thirty-one. The Wedgwood family's interest in art was significant — Josiah Wedgwood I had been an important patron and friend of artists, and the family collected contemporary portraiture. Romney was among the most fashionable portrait painters in London during this period. The V&A Wedgwood Collection preserves material relating to the family and its enterprise, and Elizabeth's portrait in this context connects personal and commercial history. Romney's treatment of her as an individual subject rather than a dynastic accessory reflects the period's growing recognition of women's individual identity within marriage.

Romney handles Elizabeth Allen with the warm, sympathetic approach that characterises his best female portraits of the 1790s. The face is given careful tonal modelling, while the dress is painted with fluent economy. The background is kept simply atmospheric to avoid competing with the figure. The overall tonality is warm and inviting rather than formal and hierarchical.