Herman Freese (German, 1819-1871)

According to an inscription on the reverse of the unlined canvas this painting originally belonged to Eva Stropp. She was the daughter of Albrecht Stropp of Bogislavitz in Silesia and she lived in Berlin where Freese also had his studio. In 1884 she married the Scottish philosopher Professor Andrew Seth, who inherited the Haining estate in Selkirkshire and took the name Pringle-Pattison.