This is an incredible engraving of a beautiful young woman named Rosamund Hester Elizabeth Croker. The engraving is (by Samuel Cousins one of the most important figures in the history of British engraving) of a painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence. This picture comes in the original frame with the label of the framer (Doic, Wilson & Wheatley Picture restorers & framers to the King) still intact on the wooden backing of the picture. Also, hand written on the wood backing is the following; Rosamund Helen Elizabeth Croker, Married George Barrow Baronet, Proof before inscription by Samuel Cousins after Sir Thomas Lawrence.
In 1820 Lawrence became president of the Royal Academy and George IV became his main patron. It was a decade when he painted some of his most stunning portraits, one being of Rosamund Croker in 1827 – "We're told that men stood before it in a half-circle admiring its loveliness at the Royal Academy exhibition." The National Portrait Gallery’s director in London, called Lawrence "a huge figure. But a huge figure who we believe deserves a great deal more attention. He is one of the great painters of the last 250 years and one of the great stars of portraiture on a European stage.
The engraving itself is 9-1/2 inches long and 8 inches across. There is a discernible plate impression around the entire image. The frame measures 23-1/2 inches long and 18 inches wide. The frame is in very good antique condition with minor dings.