Henrietta Read was born around 1760 and baptized on June 25, 1765, the second of three daughters of Frances Truman (1726-1801) and Henry Read (d. 1786) of Crowood, Ramsbury, Wiltshire. Her mother's family had been in the brewing business for several centuries, and the firm of Truman, Hanbury, and Buxton of Spitalfields, London, was founded by her great-grandfather. Under the direction of her grandfather, Benjamin Truman (1699-1780), it became one of the largest industrial enterprises in England, chiefly through the production of porter, a black stout that could be brewed in massive quantities without deterioration. Little is known of Henrietta Read's life. On July 12, 1790 she married John Meares of Eastington, Pembrokeshire. They evidently had no children and the date of her death is unrecorded.

Thomas Gainsborough (English, 1727-1788) Henrietta Read, later Henrietta Meares, c.1777 Huntington Library, San Marino CA

Henrietta Read’s grandfather, a wealthy brewer, commissioned Gainsborough to paint this portrait – as well as those of other family members – as part of a dynastic display. In a pose that recalls 17th-century court portraits, Henrietta drapes part of her lilac gown over a stone plinth, providing a cushioned support for her elbow and revealing her white silk petticoat. The pink, cream, and charcoal of her delicate gown admirably complement her complexion and dark hair color, and provide a striking foil to her bold black eyebrows and dark brown eyes.