Wigs on the Green has dated this piece to the Regency era.
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 his painted silhouettes and coloured profiles by him are rarely seen. He worked with the aid of a profile-capturing machine and travelled extensively across the north of England. He also spent time in London where he had a grace-and-favour apartment at Windsor Castle. He married five times and he was reputed to be 102 years old when he died in 1864 though the true year of his birth is questionable. His profiles are invariably neat and accomplished making them firm favourites with collectors.
Provenance: The Christie Collection
Wigs on the Green has dated this piece to the Regency era.
Small portraiture of character & historical interest
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Wigs on the Green Profile Page
Edward Foster, Watercolour Profile of a Young Regency Lady
