A partially obscured but lengthy inscription on the reverse of this hollow-cut silhouette names the sitter as Maria Elizabeth Boothby. Born in February 1758, she was the youngest child and only daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, 5th Baronet and his second wife, Phoebe Hollins. The family seat was Ashbourne Hall in Derbyshire. Maria’s elder brother, the future 6th Baronet, was a poet who dedicated several poems to his beloved sister. Her likeness was also captured by Sir Joshua Reynolds amongst others. Maria died unmarried in 1805, aged 47.Maria is shown here with her hair piled high as was the fashion during the 1770s. Dressing the hair was a lengthy and costly process so a lady’s head was typically only “opened” (this was the term used) every couple of months by which time the untreated woollen pads could be pretty pungent! Maria’s hair is topped with a cap trimmed with ribbons and this, together with her ribbon necklace tied at the back of her neck, gives the profile an attractive e...