Oil painting, 'Miss Anne Harlow, Sister of the Painter', George Henry Harlow

Bequeathed by G. Harlow White

Bequeathed by G. Harlow White, 1887.

Historical Significance: George Henry Harlow began his artistic career as a student of Henry de Cort (1742-1810) and Samuel Drummond (1765?-1844). At the age of fifteen he entered the studio of the famous portrait painter Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830). Although the painter was paid a considerable sum to accept Harlow, he did not teach him formally. Instead, Lawrence allowed his pupil to assist him in the studio and copy his work. After 18 months the two fell out and Harlow was left to pursue his career independently. However, the influence of Lawrence’s style remained visible in his later work.

Immediately after the quarrel with Lawrence, Harlow was occupied mainly with portraits of artists, actors and actresses. These include a likeness of the painter Benjamin West (1738-1820; private collection). He also completed a few historical pictures, such as Bolingbroke's Entry into London (exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, 1807), although these are less successful, partly due to his lack of a proper art education. From 1804 Harlow sent works for the Royal Academy exhibitions, however he never acquired membership. Tellingly, his candidacy for associate status in 1816 received only one vote from Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), who allegedly remarked, “I voted for the talent – not for the man!”

Perhaps partly in order to make up for his art education, Harlow went to Italy in 1818. He met Byron at Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice. He also befriended the most famous Italian sculptor at the time, Antonio Canova, who expressed his admiration for Harlow’s talent. Harlow copied many paintings in Italy, including some by Tintoretto, as well as Raphael’s Transfiguration (1517–20; Pinacoteca, Vatican, Rome). He was elected to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome, and invited to submit his own portrait to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, both of which were rare honours for an English artist.

Harlow landed in Dover in January 1819 with a sore throat, which soon became more serious. He died suddenly on 4 February 1819, at the age of 32. At the time he was regarded to be at the height of his artistic possibilities. A number of artists, including Thomas Lawrence and Joseph Farington (1747-1821), expressed high appreciation of his talent after his death. It seems likely that Harlow would have counted as one of the most successful English painters of the nineteenth century, if it were not for his sudden death.

Miss Anne was the only sister of the painter George Henry Harlow who survived into adulthood. Just before the artist’s journey to Italy the siblings lived together in Soho, London.

Anne Harlwo is shown in a bust-length format, looking at the viewer in half-profile. The oval shape of the painting and the monochrome background add to the intimacy of the work.

The sitter wears a bright dress made of a light material. Her neck is emphasised by a coral necklace, very much in vogue at the time. The simple style of dress and coiffure correspond to the nineteenth-century fashion for limited, ‘classical’ decoration, emphasising the natural features of the body.

Although significantly larger in size, these features bring this painting close to the British miniature tradition. The style is influenced by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), with whom Harlow had worked at the beginning of his career,. Both painters share a facility in brushstrokes and a great attention to detail, notably the folds of the clothing. Their approach produces a less formal and more direct image, departing from the earlier allegorical tradition of Reynolds.

455-1887