Miss Catherine Angelo

Little is known of Catherine Angelo's early life. In the summer of 1790 she was married to the Reverend Mark Drury and moved to Harrow where her husband was second master. She lived at Harrow until her death in 1825. Her portrait here shows her in the fashionable dress of the day with an elegantly plumed hat, an elaborate ruffled front to her dress, and her hair dressed in curls. Her smile is engaging, and her head is playfully cocked. The portrait is striking in its depiction of a confident and charming young woman. The manner in which the portrait is painted, highlighting the positive characteristics of the sitter while not giving in to sentimentality, is typical of the work of Sir Joshua Reynolds.