Portrait of Hyacinthe, Marchioness Wellesley, half-length, in a black dress and muslin scarf

This present drawing depicts Hyacinthe Gabrielle (1760?-1816), purported daughter of Pierre Roland of Paris who married Richard, Marquess of Wellesley (1760-1842) in 1794. To the distaste of some of his family, perhaps including his brother Arthur, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), the Marquess had already been living with Hyacinthe for nine years and had five children with her. Their marriage broke down shortly after Wellesley's return from India in 1806 and the couple remained estranged until Hyacinthe's death in 1816.