Anna Maria Crouch
- Artist: Jean Condé
- Date: 1792
- Medium: stipple
- Dimensions: Long Term Loan
- Portrays: Anna Maria Crouch
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the portrait of Anna Maria Crouch, a celebrated singer and actress of her time. The artist, Jean Condé, used stipple to give the image its soft, almost painterly quality. You’ll see tiny dots building light and shadow – a technique that lets detail emerge slowly when you look closely.
Crouch’s face is rendered in calm profile, her eyes slightly turned toward the left, hinting at her theatrical presence. Her attire is simple yet refined: a plain dress with subtle collar details, suggesting stage costume rather than court fashion. The background stays muted, keeping focus on her features.
The print was published 1st June 1792, and the date itself appears in the lower margin – an inscription that reminds us of its circulation as a portrait for posterity. Jean Condé, born in 1765 and active until his early death in 1794, produced about 27 such portraits during his brief career.
So you’re looking at a fine example of late‑18th‑century stipple portraiture that captures both the sitter’s beauty and her public role as an actress‑singer.
See it in person
Anna Maria Crouch is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
