Portrait of Mrs. Foote

Description An attractive woman is portrayed seated, clad in a black silk dress, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a white plume. Her hair falls in close curls over her temples. The traditional attribution of this painting to Sir Thomas Lawrence is no longer accepted, although the original identification of the subject as Miss Foote appears in keeping with other representations of the actress. In 1831 Maria Foote (1797(?)-1867) married Charles Stanhope, Fourth Earl of Harrington, after pursuing a successful career on the stage. Among the painters to whom this portrait has most recently been attributed is William Etty (1787-1849).

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
3/09/1948	Treatment	coated; inpainted; varnish removed or reduced
7/23/1951	Treatment	surface cleaned

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore, between 1903 and 1909 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1903-1909