Florance Young, Esq.

Phillips's portrait of Florance Young, Esquire from 1824, held at Surrey County Hall, documents a figure from the professional or administrative class associated with Surrey's county government—the kind of local dignitary whose portrait served the institutional documentation function that drove much of Phillips's prolific production. The Surrey County Hall holding indicates a connection to the county's local government, whether as a justice of the peace, high sheriff, or other official whose service the county wished to commemorate. These local institutional portraits are among the less celebrated aspects of Phillips's career but demonstrate the breadth of his practice and his importance as a visual chronicler of early nineteenth-century professional and civic life across Britain.

The portrait of a gentleman of standing follows Phillips's standard approach—competent, dignified, and focused on capturing the individual character of the sitter. The handling is professional without being remarkable, serving the commemorative purpose of institutional display.