Sir Thomas Lawrence

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Caroline Fry (1787-1846), later Mrs Wilson, author of hymns and religious books, came from a wealthy Kentish family that upheld intellectual effort and strict high church principles. For many years she edited and wrote almost single-handedly a monthly periodical, the 'Assistant of Education', that was to be found in most well-to-do nurseries, including that of the royal family. With the upturned gaze and a hint of church architecture in the background, Lawrence tried to convey something of the spiritual side of this handsome woman, but so discreetly as to keep well within the bounds of conventional society portraiture.

Gallery label, August 2004

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