Margaret ('Peg') Woffington, Actress

Jean-Baptiste van Loo's portrait of Margaret "Peg" Woffington, painted around 1738, depicts one of the most celebrated actresses of the Georgian London stage. Woffington was famous for her beauty, wit, and her breeches roles, becoming the lover of David Garrick. Van Loo was a French portrait painter who worked in London from 1737 to 1742, where he quickly became the most fashionable portraitist before his departure opened the way for British-born painters.

The oil on canvas shows van Loo's elegant French portrait style, with soft modeling and a refined palette. The theatrical quality of the portrait reflects both the sitter's profession and van Loo's ability to combine French Rococo grace with the demands of English society portraiture.