Portrait of a Lady

Despite his propensity for signing his portraits, Bradley remains an elusive figure, known to have depicted sitters only while living in New York City from 1832 to 1843. His inclusion of the address “128 Spring St.” in the signature on this portrait situates the work to the years he lived at that address. The sitter’s identity is equally mysterious, although it is possible that she was the wife of Mr. Britton, a surveyor active in Bergen County, New Jersey. The lady’s clothing, hairstyle, and accessories, which Bradley has rendered with an exactitude and specificity typical of his other portraits, indicate that she is an educated person of considerable social and economic standing.