Catharina Schindlerin with her hands in a fur muff, in black-lace bordered cloak, white fichu tied with large pink bow at corsage, white lace cap with pink bow tied under her chin in her long powdered and curling hair

Catharina Schindlerin was born in Germany and came to London in 1775. She sang at the King's Theatre in the opera 'Armida'. In her diary, Fanny Burney says 'she was young, and by many thought handsome; her figure was elegant and graceful on the stage, and she was a good actress. Her voice was a mere thread, for the weakness of which there was neither taste nor knowledge to compensate, and off the stage she was silly, insipid and coquettish'.
This miniature is a copy after the oil painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, popularized by the mezzotint by John Raphael Smith of 1777. Williamson and Engleheart (loc. cit.) record that the miniature was paid for on 8 January 1781.