A portrait of Ellen Smith of Nottingham

Executed in c. 1796, this portrait exemplifies the portrait tradition that William Beechey helped define. Painted during the tumultuous era of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the work balances individual likeness with the idealized presentation expected by eighteenth-century patrons. Beechey, knighted in 1798 and portrait painter to Queen Charlotte, executed the work with his characteristic solid, dependable oil technique that documented Georgian society's ruling classes with honest d

The portrait is rendered with skilled technique that characterizes William Beechey's best work. Oil on canvas provides a rich ground for the subtle gradations of flesh tone and the textural contrasts between skin, fabric, and background that give the image its convincing presence.