Sarah Dunn-Gardner Townshend (c.1786–1858), Marchioness Townshend (wife of George Ferrers Townshend)

Sarah Dunn-Gardner Townshend, Marchioness Townshend, painted by Lawrence around 1800 and at Tamworth Castle, forms the female complement to the male Townshend portrait in the same collection. She had married George Ferrers Townshend, 3rd Marquess, connecting the Dunn-Gardner family to one of England's most ancient noble dynasties. Tamworth Castle's collection, associated with the Midlands town that Sir Robert Peel represented in Parliament, creates an interesting juxtaposition: the Marchioness Townshend portrait hanging in a civic collection most associated with the industrial statesman who represented the democratic future of British politics. Lawrence's female portraits of the early 1800s consistently achieve the luminous atmospheric quality that was his signature contribution to Romantic portraiture — the complexion rendered in transparent glazes over a warm ground, the dress handled with the free brushwork that created the impression of shimmering fabric rather than precisely rendered pattern. Sarah Townshend benefits from this mature technique, which transforms a formal aristocratic portrait into something more personally compelling through the direct observation of an individual woman's specific presence.

Lawrence treats the Marchioness with the warm elegance he reserved for his aristocratic female sitters, the luminous complexion and graceful pose creating an impression of refined beauty. The brushwork in the hair and costume is fluid and accomplished, complementing the more carefully modeled features.