Susannah (Miller) Lee Acton

Maker George Romney (British, 1734-1802)

SitterSitter: Susannah (Miller) Lee Acton (British, died 1789)

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1786-1787

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 50 1/4 × 40 1/8 in. (127.6 × 101.9 cm.) frame: 62 3/4 × 52 3/4 × 6 in. (159.4 × 134 × 15.2 cm.)

DescriptionIn this nearly full-length portrait, the sitter, Susannah (Miller) Lee Acton, is shown on the right side of the canvas wearing a white full-skirted dress. The portrait was commissioned by the sitter's fiancé, Nathaniel Lee Acton, soon after their engagement in 1786 to commemorate their impending nuptials.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

Not on view

Label TextThe sitter’s fiancé, Nathaniel Lee Acton, commissioned this portrait to commemorate their impending nuptials. Romney successfully captures his charming sitter’s likeness while also endowing her features with a strong sense of personality. Tilting her head to one side as if listening, she fixes the viewer with a friendly but appraising gaze and a smile suggestive of wry humor. Her dashing manner of dress reinforces her air of self-confidence.

Bibliography

British paintings at the Huntington

Object number17.25