Mrs. William Abercromby, half-length, seated, in a white gown with a blue and gold sash

Benjamin West arrived in England in 1763 and quickly made a name for himself as one of the most sought-after painters in Georgian London. West was dubbed the ‘American Raphael’ by his contemporaries and his portrayal of The Death of General Wolfe in 1770 marked a landmark moment in his career, becoming one of the most reproduced images of the late 18th century. His success as a portraitist and history painter soon gained him the attention of significant patrons, not least George III, who appointed him historical painter to the King in 1772, and commissioned from him a series of eight large canvases of the life of Edward III and a proposed cycle of thirty-six paintings, representing ‘the progress of revealed religion’ for a chapel at Windsor Castle (though only twenty-eight were actually completed).

This portrait of Mary Abercromby was painted at the height of the West's powers in circa 1773-78. It is the companion to the artist's portrait of the sitter's husband, William Abercromby, Esq., of Glassaugh, Banffshire (b. 1739), which dates to the same period (see H. von Erffa and A. Staley, op. cit., p. 484, no. 579).