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Jane Darwin (1746-1835) was the daughter of Joseph Brown of Balderton, Nottinghamshire. In 1772 she married William Alvey Darwin, a lawyer and the elder brother of Erasmus Darwin (the grandfather of Charles Darwin). Their son William (1774-1841) is shown in the present portrait aged two.
By the time this portrait was commissioned Wright had developed a close friendship with the portrait artist George Romney. Romney's influence can be seen in this portrait which appears to owe part of its inspiration to Romney's portrait of Mrs Carwardine and her Child painted in the previous year. Both portraits acknowledge a debt to Raphael's Madonna della Sedia.
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