Antique Watercolour Portrait of Hannah More

Finely executed mid-19th-century watercolour portrait, delicately painted with great attention to costume, texture, and facial detail. The sitter is an older woman, shown seated at a small writing table, suggesting literacy and refinement. She wears a white lace day-cap with soft side frills and long trailing lappets, a typical fashion of the mid 19th C. Her dress is pale and modest, over which she has a dark lace-trimmed shawl or mantle draped around her shoulders. The rendering of the sheer black lace is especially detailed, indicating a skilled hand. The woman is posed holding a white quill pen, as though in the act of writing a letter. On the red-draped writing table sits an inkwell and a small sheet of folded paper, reinforcing her depiction as a literate, thoughtful, or possibly intellectual figure. The chair behind her has an upholstered back in a muted green tone. The background is left softly washed and neutral, a typical approach in mid-Victorian portrait miniatures and cabinet watercolours, allowing the sitter to dominate the composition. Frame & Mount The artwork is housed in a later giltwood frame likely dating to the late 20th century. The mount is an unusual-textured linen or canvas material with cut-corner opening, which gives a 20th century presentation. Inscription on Reverse A handwritten pencil inscription on the wooden panel together with paper label on the back reads: Paper : “Hannah Moore Authoress 1860? by ‘Phil Fischer’ Bradwin Sunday School” Pencil inscription appears to be an original attribution and the name of the sitter is spelled "More" with one O. It identifies the sitter as “Hannah Moore,” perhaps intended to reference the famous writer and philanthropist Hannah More (1745–1833). The late paper note by former owner, the name is spelled "Moore" The reference to Bradwin (possibly Broadwin) Sunday School and by “Phil Fischer” Condition: Portrait is in lovely good condition, frame showing minor wear and imperfections. Size Portrait is approx: 21cm by 18cm Frame is 30.5cm by 26.5cm