Catherine, Lady Rouse Boughton

In 1782, Catherine Hall married Charles William Boughton, who belonged to a long-established aristocratic family. As the second son, he was not heir to the family seats, but in 1768 he inherited the estates of his maternal cousin, Thomas Philips-Rouse. By the time of his marriage he had become a man of substance and it is not surprising that he wished to demonstrate his family’s status by commissioning this portrait of his young wife.

It was originally planned to incorporate her young daughter int he portrait, however Romney’s ledger book shows the words “with a child” crossed out. In 1998 the painting was cleaned and an x-ray was taken of the portrait, which revealed underpainting for the child. The x-ray photograph shows the little girl sitting to her mother’s right. it remains a mystery why the child’s likeness was subsequently painted out.

Romney portrays Lady Rouse Boughton in a long flowing white gown, a type of garment often used by the artists to show the female form to it’s full advantage, icing “a lightness to their bodies and limbs, and a variety and grace to their action”.