Mary Hickey

Mary Hickey was the eldest daughter of Joseph Hickey, who was a friend of the artist, and legal adviser to the politician and philosopher Edmund Burke. Miss Hickey sat for Reynolds in 1769 and 1771, and on six occasions in August 1773-it is possible that Reynolds invited her to pose for him not necessarily for her portrait but as a model for some other kind of picture. Mr. Hickey paid Reynolds 35 guineas for the finished painting, a considerable sum. Miss Hickey's wide-brimmed satin hat was very fashionable. Later, in 1776, the Gentlemen's Magazine complained about "Hats that only shew the chin / And the mouth's bewitching grin." For Reynolds, the hat merely offered a convenient pretext for casting a subtle shadow across the young woman's face.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2005