Girl of the Ludwell family

The subject has sometimes been identified as Frances Ludwell (later Mrs. John Paradise, 1740-1768), daughter of Philip Ludwell III and Frances Grymes Ludwell. The portrait could also be her sister, Hannah Philippa (later Mrs. William Lee, 1737-1784). The portrait descended with others associated with the Ludwell family. It could also represent another member of the Ludwell, Lee, or Grymes family.

Dimensions: 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 60.96 cm.)

The portrait represents a young girl wearing a blue dress with a scalloped bodice and embroidery at the neckline. She also wears a red gown and has a drape around her shoulder. She wears a floral hairpiece and carries a basket of flowers.

See: MESDA Database, S-3809; Graham Hood, Charles Bridges and William Dering: Two Virginia Painters, 1735-1750 (1978), 47-50; Colonial Williamsburg eMuseum