Mrs H.W. Lauzun
- Artist: Sir Henry Raeburn
- Date: ?1796
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: frame: 927 x 798 x 124 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the 'Mrs H.W. Lauzun' by Sir Henry Raeburn. Painted in Edinburgh around 1796, it shows Anne Neale Lauzun, née Tucker, a young woman who moved from Bermuda to Scotland a few years earlier. The sitter is seated in a white dress, her dark curls framing a face that looks straight ahead, cheeks pinked, light washing her face and upper torso. Raeburn's brushwork here is deliberately loose—he avoids preliminary sketches, modeling directly on canvas. The landscape behind her, with a tall tree and warm orange sky, is painted in broad, almost sketchy strokes, giving the background depth while keeping the focus on Anne. This piece marks a turning point in Raeburn's career; he was beginning to move away from the polished style of Reynolds, experimenting with a more direct, expressive treatment of light and form. The work also hints at the larger historical context: Anne's family were part of Bermuda's colonial administration, and her marriage to Lt. Henry William Lauzun in 1796 ties her personal story to Britain’s expanding empire. The strong central light source and the contrast between the sitter's polished face and the loose background make this portrait a compelling example of Raeburn's evolving style.
See it in person
Mrs H.W. Lauzun is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
