Jane, Lady Munro

Jane, Lady Munro, wife of Sir Thomas Munro, the celebrated administrator of British India, is depicted in this 1819 portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Sir Thomas Munro"s reputation as Governor of Madras made the family prominent in London society, and Jane"s portrait by Shee records her place among the wives of the imperial administrative elite. The National Portrait Gallery acquired the work as part of its mission to document the history of Britain through portraiture.

Lady Munro is shown in the fashionable dress of the Regency period, with Shee deploying his best technique for the female portrait mode. The palette features the whites and pale colors of contemporary women"s fashion against a warm, dark background. The face is rendered with sympathy, the eyes and expression conveying personality within the conventions of genteel portraiture. Shee"s handling of the fabric and hair shows the fluid brushwork that distinguishes his better female likenesses.