Portrait of Lady Caroline Lamb

Lady Caroline Lamb was the most scandalous aristocratic woman of the Regency era, famous for her obsessive affair with Lord Byron in 1812 — she described him in her journal as 'mad, bad, and dangerous to know.' Thomas Phillips's 1813 portrait captures her at the height of her notoriety, depicting the impulsive, highly strung personality that fascinated and eventually alienated Byron and London society alike. Caroline later anonymously published the roman à clef Glenarvon, incorporating a thinly disguised portrait of Byron as villain. The portrait documents a woman whose transgressive celebrity made her one of the most discussed figures of her era.

Phillips captures the aristocratic beauty and intense personality that attracted Byron, using a warm palette and direct composition. The portrait reveals the vibrant, passionate character that contemporaries found both fascinating and alarming.