Portrait of Mary Anne Bloxam (later Mrs. Frederick H. Hemming)

Mary Anne Bloxam was painted by Lawrence in 1824 as a companion piece to the portrait of her husband, Frederick Hemming, both of which now reside at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth — one of the most significant concentrations of Lawrence's work in North American collections. The Kimbell's twin portraits preserve the domestic partnership that commissioned them, a rare instance of Lawrence's paired portraits surviving together in institutional hands. By 1824 Lawrence was commanding fees that placed him beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest patrons, and the Hemming commission represents the upper reaches of the professional classes who sought his services. Lawrence executed the work in oil on panel — a smaller and more intimate support than the large canvases of his full-length commissions — and the resulting portrait has the psychological closeness and concentrated observation that characterizes his smaller-format work. The faces are built up in the transparent glazes that gave his flesh tones their luminous quality, while dress and background are handled with the confident economy of a painter who has found the minimum means to convey the maximum information.

The female companion portrait typically receives Lawrence's most delicate treatment, and this is no exception. The sitter's complexion is built up through luminous layers, with rosy warmth concentrated on the cheeks and a cooler clarity on the forehead and neck.