This portrait was almost certainly painted on the occasion of Elisabeth Garth’s marriage to her cousin William Lowndes-Stone on 15 July 1775. The composition broadly follows the refined typology of the full length portrait introduced by Van Dyck in England in the 1630s, when he was the official court painter to King Charles I.

The elegant figure, accompanied by a spaniel, an allusion to fidelity, wears a salmon silk dress and a transparent gauze shawl. She is presented au naturel, standing and framed by a scenographic landscape, so typical of the local painting. The sophisticated style of the portrait does not contradict the informality of the pose and the model’s captivating freshness.

The work shows similarities with other female representations made by the artist in the same period and stands out for its elegance. The painting has been considered one of the most beautiful portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, who has been described as ‘unrivalled in his depiction of English womanhood’.