Lady Elizabeth Stanley 1776 - 1778

George Romney painted Lady Elizabeth Stanley with oil on canvas, during a time when portraiture was a prime way for artists to secure commissions from the monied elite. Notice the exquisite fabric of her dress. The silky material drapes and catches the light, suggesting considerable expense. It speaks to a society stratified by class and consumption. The very act of painting a portrait like this underscored the privilege and status of the sitter. Romney was one of the most fashionable portrait painters of his day, competing with the likes of Reynolds and Gainsborough, and he left behind a prodigious body of work. Although celebrated during his lifetime, some later art historians have seen his paintings as formulaic and facile. But by considering the social conditions in which he worked, we can fully appreciate the significance of his process. We can see these portraits as artifacts of their time, materialized expressions of the world in which they were created.