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Lot Essay
There are two versions of this composition, with small but distinct differences. The present work relates to the type of which the prime version is thought to be that now in the Wallace Collection, London. In it the 'strawberry girl' wears a turban on her head, with wisps of hair visible, whereas in the other 'type' tassels cover her forehead and she holds her apron in her arms to reveal a red skirt.
Martin Postle notes that 'Strawberry girls were a common sight in eighteenth-century London streets and pleasure gardens, measuring out their wares from small conical baskets or pottles. The general composition of A Strawberry Girl was derived, however, from Reynolds's portrayal of a girl of c.1767, which has traditionally been regarded as a portrait of the artist's niece Theophila Palmer' (Martin Postle, Sir Joshua Reynolds: A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, London, 2000, nos.2165-2166, p.564).
Martin Postle notes that 'Strawberry girls were a common sight in eighteenth-century London streets and pleasure gardens, measuring out their wares from small conical baskets or pottles. The general composition of A Strawberry Girl was derived, however, from Reynolds's portrayal of a girl of c.1767, which has traditionally been regarded as a portrait of the artist's niece Theophila Palmer' (Martin Postle, Sir Joshua Reynolds: A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, London, 2000, nos.2165-2166, p.564).