Like Jane Austen''s character Emma Woodhouse, young Regency ladies had ''the highest value for elegance'' when it came to fashion. Hence their love of neo-classically styled dresses that featured simple lines in lightweight fabrics such as that worn by this doe-eyed young lady. Wearing a traditional white dress - the short sleeves suggesting evening wear - her brown hair has been curled and tied back with tight curls framing her face.Delicately painted in watercolour on card and housed in its original papier-mâché frame with convex glass and a floral hanger, the portrait is backed with the artist''s trade card offering ''profiles and miniatures ... in a stile superior in elegance and correctness'' executed by Foster. The portrait has faded slightly and there is a short scratch to the glass which shows in the images as a mark on her neck. Otherwise it is in fine condition.Edward Foster was a prolific artist whose artistic career spanned over two decades. He was best known for hi...