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Paintings

Susannah (Miller) Lee Acton

Type
Paintings(Opens in new tab)
Date
1786-1787
Accession number
17.25
Maker
George Romney(Opens in new tab) (British, 1734–1802)
Sitter
Sitter: Susannah (Miller) Lee Acton(Opens in new tab) (British, died 1789)
Dimensions
50 1/4 x 40 1/8 in. (127.6 x 101.9 cm.)
Medium
oil on canvas
Description
In 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
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Department
European Art
Find out more
View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)
The 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.

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