On display at Abbot Hall Art Gallery is a portrait of Emma Hart, who later became Lady Hamilton. Dating to 1785-1786, the oil on canvas painting is the work of the 18th century English portrait painter George Romney. After serving his apprenticeship in Kendal, Romney became the most fashionable artist of his day. Emma was described by Romney as his muse and sat for the artist over one hundred times. Romney finished sixty paintings of Emma with the above painting depicting the heroine Miranda taken from Shakespeare’s Tempest. The painting is one of several compositions intended for Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery in London.