OIL PAINTING: Lady Innes, 1757
Lady Innes was painted by Gainsborough at about the time of the Malloren novels, when he was still a young man, making his name in provincial Ipswich. The costume is exactly right for the time, with the elaborate gown and simple hair, and I was struck by her direct gaze and upright posture. She seemed alive to me, with a story to tell.
As with most paintings of Gainsborough, the full force cannot be appreciated in a reproduction.
Without knowing anything about Lady Innes, we feel the presence of a young lady who was not pretty, but carried herself with assurance.