Mrs Mary Robinson

This head and shoulders portrait of the actress Mary Robinson may have been a study in preparation for Gainsborough’s full-length portrait, also shown here. Robinson’s dress and expression are similar to that in the final portrait, although Gainsborough altered some colours to fit with the open-air setting of the later picture.

Both paintings were owned by Mrs Robinson and may have been commissioned as part of her campaign for reparation from the Prince of Wales, who had abandoned her.