Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), a popular, critically acclaimed portrait painter, had a strong interest in literature and literary subjects. He painted Mary Robinson at least twice. In Ainsi va le monde, Robinson lavishly praises Reynolds's "magic skill": "Thy hand, by Nature guided, marks the line/That stamps perfection on the form divine." Robinson claims that Reynolds's abilities surpass those of Raphael and Titian. For detailed information on the numerous versions of this portrait of Robinson, as well as on all portraits of Robinson, see Philip Highfill et al., A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, pp. 39-47.

[Letter to the Women of England contents page]