M.rs Sarah Porter Queen of the Touters at Tunbridge Wells.

Date1750-1760

Attributed to William Pether

After work by Vander Smissen

MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 13 7/16 × 9 13/16 in (34.13 × 24.92cm) (trimmed)
Other (Platemark): 13 1/4 × 9 13/16 in (33.65498183, 24.92cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1966-192

DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "M.rs Sarah Porter/ Queen of the Touters at Tunbridge Wells./ Vander Smissen Pinxit."Label TextA “touter” is someone who zealously tries to get customers. Tunbridge Wells, an English spa town, was a popular vacation destination for fashionable society in the early 18th century. Visitors would have been familiar with Sarah Porter (d. 1762) and her book of subscribers whether they liked it or not. Beau Nash, self-appointed master of ceremonies, had Porter collect subscriptions to the spa and make sure that people paid. She became a fixture on the scene, notable for her persistence and art of persuasion. She claimed to know everyone and could shake down attendees, both rich and poor.  ProvenanceBefore 1966, Avis and Rockwell Gardiner (Stamford, CT); 1966-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)