From: Matt Davies
<matt davies@jssgallery.org>
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002
Mrs. Batten (nee Mabel Veronica Hatch, c. 1857-1915) was the daughter of an upper-class military family, and grew up for a time in India. There she met and married George Batten, an older military officer, and later they moved to London. In 1908 she began a lesbian affair with the author Marguerite Radclyffe Hall. She was a talented amateur mezzo-soprano. Sargent admired her and presented her with this portrait.
Special thanks to Matt Davies, of Kansas City, a friend of the JSS Gallery, for sending me a note regarding this image.
The Portrait of a Lady: Sargent and Lady Agnew, by Julia Rayer Rolfe, with David Cannadine, Kenneth McConkey, and Wilfred Mellers. It was published by the Trustees of the National Galler of Scotland as the catalogue for the exhibit of the same name which was held there 8 August-19 October 1997.