Which artist painted the 1836 portrait of Ada Lovelace?

Margaret Sarah Carpenter painted the 1836 portrait of Ada Lovelace. The oil-on-canvas work shows Lovelace in a full-length white dress with a red cape and is now part of Britain’s Government Art Collection.

Carpenter was an English portrait painter born Margaret Sarah Geddes in 1793. She became known for society portraits influenced by the style of Sir Thomas Lawrence and built a successful professional career at a time when women artists faced substantial barriers.

The portrait dates from a significant moment in Lovelace’s life. Lovelace had married William King in 1835, and the painting was made in 1836, the year she gave birth to her first child. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition that year.

The work is sometimes confused with later images of Lovelace, including daguerreotypes from around 1843 and modern statues based on Carpenter’s portrait. Carpenter’s painting is specifically the 1836 portrait named in the question.