Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Autograph letter : London, to Mr. Webster, 1794 November 4.

BIB_ID
211925
Accession number
MA 9410
Creator
Abington, Mrs. (Frances Barton), 1737-1815.
Display Date
1794 November 4.
Description
1 item (4 pages) ; 22.9 x 18.7 cm
Notes
Written in the third person.
Abington gives the place of writing as "Pall Mall."
The portrait in question may be Reynolds' depiction of Abington as "Roxalana" in Isaac Bickstaffe's play, The Sultan; or A Peep into the Seraglio.
Summary
Appealing to him for help in retrieving Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait of her from the engraver Sherwin (either John Keyse Sherwin or his brother Charles): "she is in danger of Loseing the fine Picture which has been for near six years in the Hands of Mr Sherwin for the purpose of making a Print from it -- there is not one Moment to be Lost, if Mr Webster will have the goodness to undertake the Business"; asking him not to mention the matter to "Mr Nealson or Mr [Cooke]"; explaining how this situation arose: "The Picture is the property of Mrs Abington and given by Sir Joshua Reynolds to Mr Sherwin at his own particular request that Sir Joshua would favour him so far as to Let him have the prefference of the many artists who at the time the Picture was painted, applyed for it to Engrave a print from it"; sending her "kindest love" to Webster's wife and family; writing that she has "at this moment heard, that all our armaments will now End in Peace."