Frances Barton, Mrs Abington (1737-1815) as the Widow Bellmour in Arthur Murphy's 'The Way to Keep Him' (1727-1805)

Zoffany's portrait of Frances Barton, Mrs Abington, as the Widow Bellmour in Arthur Murphy's comedy The Way to Keep Him (1765) is a theatrical portrait of one of the most celebrated comic actresses of the eighteenth-century London stage. Mrs Abington was famous for her portrayal of fashionable women — witty, elegant, worldly — a persona she refined over decades at Drury Lane and Covent Garden. Zoffany, who began his career designing costumes and painting theater scenery, brought a professional's understanding of theatrical effect to this portrait of an actress in her element.

The theatrical portrait format requires Zoffany to balance likeness with character — the actress must be recognizable while convincingly occupying her role. His characteristic attention to costume and prop is evident: the Widow Bellmour's fashionable dress is rendered with the precision of a wardrobe inventory. The expression captures theatrical archness.