Frances Reynolds facts for kids

Frances Reynolds (born June 6, 1729 – died November 1, 1807, London) was a British artist. She was the youngest sister of the famous painter Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Early Life and Family

Frances Reynolds was born in 1729. For many years, she helped manage her brother Sir Joshua Reynolds's home in London. During this time, she also worked on her own art, painting small pictures called miniatures and other types of artworks.

When her nieces, the Misses Palmer, grew up and could help out, Frances moved out of her brother's home. This happened sometime before 1779. She felt sad about leaving her brother's home, and this separation caused her lasting regret.

Her brother, Sir Joshua, gave her money to live on. Frances first moved to Devon, a county in England. Later, in 1768, she traveled to Paris, France, to stay with a friend named Miss Flint. Her brother Sir Joshua even visited her there.

Frances later lived as a lodger with Dr. John Hoole. She painted his portrait, which was used in the first edition of his translation of a famous poem by Ariosto.

Later Years and Art

After her brother Sir Joshua died in 1792, Frances moved into a large house in Queen's Square, Westminster, in London. She used this space to show her own paintings. Frances Reynolds never married and passed away in this house on November 1, 1807.

Frances had other siblings besides Sir Joshua. Her sisters included Mary Palmer and Elizabeth Johnson.

Her Artistic Works

Frances Reynolds was a painter, but opinions on her work varied. Her famous brother, Sir Joshua, once joked about the copies she made of his paintings, saying they "make other people laugh and me cry." This suggests he might not have thought they were very good.

However, another painter named James Northcote had a different view. He wrote that Frances "paints very fine, both history and portrait." This means he believed she was skilled at painting both historical scenes and portraits of people.

The famous writer Samuel Johnson was very fond of Frances. He visited her often, even when she lived alone in Dover Street in 1780. Johnson was not pleased with a portrait she painted of him in 1783, calling it his "grimly ghost."

Despite his thoughts on her portrait, Samuel Johnson thought highly of Frances's writing. He praised her 'Essay on Taste,' which was printed privately in 1784. His letters to her often showed his affection, calling her "Renny dear." He even left her a book in his will. In 1790, Frances also published a poem called 'Melancholy Tale.'