Francesco Bartolozzi 1725-1815 after Lady Diana Beauclerk. 1734-1808. The Artists daughters. Etching with stipple printed in bistre. Publish'd May 15th. 1780, by F. Bartolozzi No 1 Bentinck Street, in Berwick Street Soho. Slight timestaining and laid to card. 30.5 by 29 cms. Plate. 35.5 by 33 cms. Sheet. Exceptionally rare. The image shows the artists two daughters Elizabeth (Lady Herbert) and her sister Mary (Countess Walworth).
A highly gifted artist Lady Diana Beauclerk (née Spencer) The eldest daughter of the third Duke of Marlborough was able to use her scandalous reputation as an adulteress and aristocratic woman to further her career as a painter and designer. She painted portraits, illustrated plays and books, provided designs for Wedgwood's innovative pottery, and decorated rooms with murals. Championed by her close friend Horace Walpole, whose letters illuminate all aspects of her life, she was able to establish herself as an admired artist at a time when women struggled to forge careers.