MISS NELLY O'BRIEN; AND MISS KITTY FISHER, BY CHARLES SPOONER

Details

AFTER SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS
MISS NELLY O'BRIEN; AND MISS KITTY FISHER, BY CHARLES SPOONER
mezzotint published by Robert Sayer, London
14 x 9¾ in. (35.5 x 24.7 cm.)
together with a collection of portrait engravings including Robert, Duke of Roxburghe, John Wilkes, William Lloyd and Sir Watkins Williams Wynn
ten in the lot (10)

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Lot Essay

Miss Nelly O'Brien and Miss Catherine Maria 'Kitty' Fisher were eighteenth century courtesans who moved amongst the high classes and social elite but whose morals broke from polite codes of behaviour. London society was scandalised and yet fascinated by their behaviour. Both women, especially Kitty Fisher, were reported to live in great splendour. This extravagance led to tales of Kitty eating a one hundred pound banknote on buttered bread.
Fisher and O'Brien were known for their beauty and were favourite models for Sir Joshua Reynolds. In his paintings he was able to promote their celebrity and his own, ensuring he remained associated with the most sought after portraits of the age.

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