The sitter (b. 29 August 1775) was the daughter of Charles Baring (1742-1829) and grand-daughter of Johann ‘John’ Baring (1697-1748) whose family went onto found Barings Bank. She married, in 1796, Sir Samuel Young, 1st Bt. (1766-1826), son of Admiral Sir George Young, Kt., (1732-1810) whose second wife Anne Battie, bought him the impressive family house of Formosa Place at Cookham. Sir Samuel made his reputation and fortune in the East India Company in the Presidencies of Calcutta and later Madras and received the baronetcy ‘of Formosa Place’ on 24 November 1813. They had nine children, and the eldest son Captain Sir George Young, R.N. inherited Formosa Place and the baronetcy in 1826. Three of their sons followed their father’s footsteps in the service of the East India Company and the name of their house 'Formosa’ is a reminder of the connection with the East India Company as Formosa was the name given to the island of Taiwan by passing Portugese mariners in 1544 (Ilha Formosa meaning beautiful island). Formosa Place was demolished circa 1949. There is a memorial wall tablet in Holy Trinity Church, Cookham dedicated to Sir George Young, Sir Samuel Young and Emily Young.
John Smart painted two miniatures of Sir Samuel Young: one dated 1788 with 'I' for India (Foskett, op. cit., p. 77), sold Christie’s, 21 June 1966, lot 24; and a miniature dated 1796 (Foskett, supra). Smart also painted Admiral Sir George Young, sold Christie's, London, 21 June 1966, lot 22 (signature and date efaced). The preparatory sketch for this miniature is in the Victoria & Albert Museum (inv. no. P. 16-1963).