Sir Robert Frankland Russell (1784–1849), 7th Bt

Lawrence painted Sir Robert Frankland Russell around 1800, depicting a member of the Yorkshire gentry whose family seat was at Thirkleby Hall. The portrait demonstrates the provincial aristocratic patronage that supplemented Lawrence's royal and metropolitan commissions. Now at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country residence, where it forms part of the house's collection of British portraiture. Lawrence's portraits of country gentlemen, while less glamorous than his royal commissions, provide an invaluable collective portrait of the English ruling class during the Georgian period.

The portrait follows Lawrence's standard format for male sitters of the gentry class, with warm flesh tones set against a neutral ground. The costume and background are handled with efficient directness, reserving the most careful modelling for the face and hands.