Ann Barry (1734-1801) was born Ann Street in Bath, where her father was an apothecary. She moved to York and married an actor called Dancer, who appears to have died young. Some time after appearing in Portsmouth in 1756, billed as Mrs. Dancer, she moved to Dublin where she was recorded performing in 1758 at Spranger Barry's Crow Street Theatre. She came to London with Barry in 1767 where she appeared as Juliet to his Romeo. They acted together following the season acted with him in Garrick's company at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and married him in 1768. After Barry's death in 1777 she married a Mr. Crawford, but following her death in November 1801, was buried near Barry in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.

An untrimmed copy of this print in the collection of Washington State University reveals its publisher as John Bowles, 13, Cornhill. A virtually identical print, but with the image reversed with the sitter looking to her right, was published for Robert Sayer on the 1st July 1769 with the title Lady Molineux, but with the engraver given as J. Watson (National Portrait Gallery collection, NPG D38856). Both prints attribute to original painting to the portrait painter Tilly Kettle (1735-1786).