The Ladies Alexandra, Mary and Theodosia Acheson were the three daughters of the fourth Earl of Gosford. They married respectively The Hon. Frederic William Stanley, The Hon. Robert Arthur Ward and The Hon. Alexander George Codogan. The history of how the present portrait came to be commissioned is not known; it may be assumed however that the picture was painted at the request of the grandmother of the three girls, Louisa, Duchess of Devonshire, who was previously married to the Seventh Duke of Manchester, their grandfather. 
  
Lent by His Grace - the Duke of Devonshire and the Trustees of the Chatsworth Settlement. 

Provenance  

- The Duchess of Devonshire; thence by family decent in the family of the Dukes of Devonshire 
  
Exhibited  
- London, Royal Academy, 1902, no 89 
- London, Franco - British Exhibition, 1902 
- Rome, International Fine Arts Exhibition, 1911, no 313 
- Venice, 1907, no 28 
- Berlin, 1908 
- London, Royal Academy, Winter exhibition, Exhibition of works by the late John S Sargent RA, 1926, no 573 
- York, City Art Gallery, 1926, no 29  
- Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, exhibition of works by John Singer Sargent, 1964, no 25  
- Tokyo, National Museum of Western Art, English Portraits, 1975, no 63 
- Leeds, Lotherton Hall; London, National Portrait Gallery; Detroit, Institute of Arts, John Singer Sargent and the Edwardian Age, 1979, no 47 

Note: 
Gratitude to Wendy & Gordon Hawksley of Sheffield, England for sending me the image and information. 

1) 
From: Wendy & Gordon Hawksley 
<gw@whawksley.fsnet.co.uk>  
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002  

[Shown at the] 'Society Portraits 1850 - 1939' - this was an exhibition held at the Colnaghi Gallery and the Clarendon Gallery in London from 30 October to 14 December 1985.  

• See the year in review  1902