Portrait of a Lady (Called Mrs Wells) painted around 1777
Accredited to John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779)
Lady Lever Art Gallery
This painting has cause me some real issues with my label writing. It is particularly interesting as it is not know exactly who it shows or who painted it! Lever bought the painting believing it to have been painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It was later attributed to Francis Coates, as he had painted a portrait of the same name, which was sold to James Orrock, who also purchased the above painting for Lever.
Coates died in 1770 and this painting is thought to be from 1777-9 because of the height of the Lady’s hair. The painting is now attributed to John Hamilton Mortimer as it is similar to and is possibly one of the portraits of Ladies he painted for his 1777 Society of Artists Exhibition.
On the reverse of the painting is an undated label reading ‘Mrs Wells, 1st wife of Doctor Wells’. No records show that a Dr Wells was known by the artist, nor that anyone called Mrs Wells sat for him and so the subject of the painting remains a mystery.
Hi Sarah, this picture depicts Elizabeth Burnham, daughter of Joseph Burnham, Register and Surrogate of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, and first wife of Dr Joseph Wells of Little Missenden, Halton House, and Cowley Place.
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