Harriet Moritz, Lady Polwarth (after 1767 - d.1853)

Phillips's portrait of Harriet Moritz, Lady Polwarth from 1802 depicts a Scottish noblewoman connected to the Borders aristocracy—the Polwarth title being a Scottish viscountcy associated with the Hume-Campbell family that controlled substantial estates in Berwickshire. The 1802 date places this in the period of Phillips's early London success, when he was beginning to establish the aristocratic connections that would sustain his prolific portrait career for four decades. Lady Polwarth's portrait served both personal commemoration and the dynastic documentation appropriate to a titled family with significant Scottish landed interests and the social connections of the British nobility.

The aristocratic female portrait presents Lady Polwarth with appropriate dignity and elegance. Phillips handles the fashions of 1802—the high-waisted Empire silhouette and likely elaborate hairstyle—with professional attention to the details that established social position. The composition is conventional but effective.