MARY ROSS BEALE

John Wollaston was one of several painters who introduced the new rococo manner to the colonies. He arrived in New York in 1749 and returned to England in 1767, and in between worked in New York, Philadelphia, Maryland, Virginia, and Charleston, where he spent the last two years. Along the way his work influenced other portraitists such as Benjamin West (1738-1820), John Hesselius (1728-1778), and Jeremiah Theus (1716-1774). Wollaston’s portrait of Mary Ross Beale (d. 1771) demonstrates the hallmarks of his rococo style—the luscious treatment of fabrics, lace, and pearls, and the coquettish way she fingers her broach and places her other hand on her hip.