The Blue Bandeau

In the year that President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address and the Scottish Philosopher Adam Smith died, this bashful young lady sat for her portrait to the Anglo-Irish artist Horace Hone. Wearing a classic white dress with a frilled neckline and a neckerchief fill-in, her natural curls fall over her shoulders and are decorated with a blue ribbon bandeau.

The portrait is signed and dated on the obverse HH / 1790. It is presented in the original gold frame that is enclosed on the reverse.

Horace Hone (1754/56-1825) was taught how to paint by his father, Nathaniel, before attending the Royal Academy Schools. In 1782 he settled in Dublin where he managed a fashionable studio. His career was boosted in 1795 when he was appointed Miniature Painter to the Prince of Wales (later George IV). In later years he returned to live in London but by then was suffering from poor mental health.

Ivory Registration: RMS3KPB7