Called Mrs Siddons as 'Rosalind' (after Master Thomas Haden as 'Edwin' from Dr Beattie's 'Minstrel' by Wright of Derby)

This unusual oil on panel, attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby (c. 1778), depicts a subject — possibly Sarah Siddons as Rosalind after a Wright design — that sits at the intersection of theatrical portraiture and literary illustration. Siddons and Wright were contemporaries in the orbit of literary and intellectual Midlands England. The work's uncertain attribution and odd subject description suggest it may be a copy after Wright's own composition, produced either in his studio or by a close follower. It records the theatrical culture of late eighteenth-century England, where literary characters were visualized through the filter of celebrated actors.

The panel technique shows careful finish in the figure, with Wright's characteristic attention to light on the face. The attribution difficulties are visible in areas of uncertain handling alongside passages of genuine quality. The costume is rendered with attention to period fashion rather than theatrical spectacle.