Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy England, early 19th Century

Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy

1801

Thomas Lawrence

(British, 1769–1830)

England, early 19th Century

oil on canvas

Framed: 161 x 135 x 11 cm (63 3/8 x 53 1/8 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 129 x 103 cm (50 13/16 x 40 9/16 in.)

Bequest of John L. Severance 1942.642

Location: 203A British Painting and Decorative Arts

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Did You Know?

Lawrence was a child prodigy and largely self-taught. At the early age of 10, he made accomplished portraits in crayon.

Description

Charlotte (left) and Sarah were 19 and 21, respectively, when this portrait was painted on the occasion of Sarah’s marriage to the topographer Daniel Lysons. The sisters wear fashionable gowns and jewelry, but their affectionate posture conveys a sisterly tenderness that transcends glamour. There was a seemingly insatiable demand for Thomas Lawrence’s portraits representing stylish English society, but he was notoriously slow working. Although this picture was begun in 1801, it still was not finished in 1806 when a friend noted its presence in the artist’s studio.