This late 18th-century oil on canvas, painted around 1790, depicts the elegant Miss Bowman. She is shown in three-quarter profile, her cheeks rosy, wearing a large hat adorned with a charming red bow.
John Westbrook Chandler, both a painter and a poet, made the aristocracy his playground, where he enjoyed portraying his subjects. Although this artist remains somewhat mysterious, we are familiar with his work thanks to the various portraits preserved in a number of British institutions. The National Gallery in London has a portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire, painted during the same period. The Tate Britain also exhibits a portrait of William Godwin, painted in 1798.
J.W. Chandler’s work is often compared to that of the famous painter George Romney or John Hoppner, whose artistic style is very similar.
Late 18th century, British work
Height: 90 cm (74 cm without frame)
Width: 76.5 cm (61 cm without frame)
National Portrait Gallery, and John Ingamells. National Portrait Gallery Mid-Georgian Portraits, 1760-1790. London: National Portrait Gallery, 2004. Print.
