Miss Elizabeth Farren (c.1759–1829) (later second wife of the Earl of Derby)

Elizabeth Farren was a celebrated actress who became the Countess of Derby upon her marriage to the 12th Earl in 1797, one of the most famous social ascents of the Georgian era. She had been Derby's companion for years before his first wife's death allowed them to marry. Lawrence himself had painted her famously in 1790 in a full-length portrait that is now in the Metropolitan Museum — this version at Burton Constable Hall is likely a smaller replica or study.

The portrait captures the grace and elegance that made Farren a star on both stage and in society. Lawrence's fluid brushwork conveys the lightness and movement that contemporaries admired in her performances, while the luminous treatment of her complexion demonstrates his signature gift for beautifying his female sitters.