One observer noted that Louisa and Lady Southampton of Fitzroy Farm, both: ‘…admirable dairywomen, were so jealous of each other’s fame, that they have […] been very near to a serious falling out, on the dispute [over] which of them could make the greatest quantity of butter from such a number of cows’.

Devon-born Humphry showed early promise as an artist and, on the advice of Sir Joshua Reynolds, enrolled at William Shipley’s drawing academy in London before taking up an apprenticeship with the miniaturist Samuel Collins in Bath. After Collins fell into debt and fled to Dublin to avoid his creditors, Humphry set up his own practice as a miniature painter in Bath before returning to London in 1764, again on the advice of Reynolds. He quickly established a large clientele, including members of the royal family, and became acquainted with the other leading artists of the era. After damaging his eyesight in a riding accident, in 1773, Humphry embarked on a four-year visit to Italy with his friend and fellow artist George Romney. His intention was to study the Old Masters in order to allow him to transition from miniature painting to painting in oils. On his return to Britain, he dedicated himself to this new practice but with little success. After a brief period spent in India in the mid-1780s, Humphry returned to London and resumed his practice as a miniaturist. However, by 1791 his sight has deteriorated further, and he began working on a larger scale in crayons. In 1792 he was appointed portrait painter in crayons to the king, but by the end of the decade, his sight had deteriorated such that he could no longer work.