One of my favorite paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection! Doesn’t she seem to have a lovely spark about her, like she lived an interesting life? He painter captured it well, because the lady in the painting was an actress of the time. Painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence in 1790, the work depicts the Irish actress Elizabeth Farren. She made her London first performance as Kate Hardcastle in “She Stoops to Conquer” on stage. She continued to act and later married the 12th Earl of Derby. What I love about this painting is her mischievous, very alive expression, and the gorgeous melting of the white fabric texture with the landscape.