Isabella Molyneux, Countess of Sefton Country Life Magazine Portrait July 7 1928

Isabella Molyneux (nee Stanhope), Countess of Sefton Country Life Magazine Portrait, Frontispiece, July 7 1928. LXIV No. 1642

The featured frontispiece this week is a portrait of the Countess of Sefton, from the painting by Gainsborough exhibited at Messrs. Agnew's Galleries.

• Subject: Isabella Molyneux (née Stanhope), an English aristocrat and prominent society figure of the 18th century.
• Marriage: She married into the Molyneux family in 1768 and was known at the time as Viscountess Molyneux.
• Artist: The portrait was painted by Thomas Gainsborough, one of the leading portraitists of the period.
• Exhibition: The work was first shown at the Royal Academy’s inaugural Summer Exhibition in 1769.
• Style: Executed in the Rococo style, the portrait is celebrated for its elegance and the detailed rendering of the sitter’s dress.
• Provenance: The painting remained at Croxteth Hall for many years before being acquired by the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, where it is now held.

This is an authentic original page from Country Life magazine, part of the iconic series often affectionately referred to as the “Girls in Pearls” portraits — elegant society images that captured a distinctive era of British publishing and portraiture.

Size: Approximately 13.75 x 9 inches (35 x 23 cm)

Condition: Very good for its age. As with all vintage magazine pages, light signs of handling or minor age-related blemishes may be present. Please review the large photo carefully for full condition details.

This original Country Life Magazine frontispiece portrait forms part of The Old Map Shop’s curated archive of society portraits published between 1897 and 2026.