Edward Ferrers (1765-1795) (after British [English] School)

Edward Ferrers (1765-1795) was a member of the Ferrers family whose history was intertwined with Baddesley Clinton, and this 1886 copy of an 18th-century portrait by Rebecca Dulcibella Orpen preserves the memory of a family member who died young. Orpen's systematic copying of the family portrait collection at Baddesley Clinton served both a preservationist and a genealogical function — maintaining the visual record of the family's ancestors in a house that had been associated with the Ferrers for centuries. This copy after an English school original reflects Orpen's attention to the conventions and character of late 18th-century British portraiture.

Orpen renders the 18th-century English school original with appropriate restraint — the lighter palette, powder-wigged elegance, and decorative flatness of late Georgian portraiture accurately captured within the limits of her Victorian interpretation. The handling adapts to the manner of the original rather than imposing her own contemporary style.