English Provincial School, 19th Century, Portrait of Sophia Clulow Howard, three quarter length wearing a white dress holding a pink rose, inscribed 'Sophia Howard, aged 9 years and 2 months' in ink on the stretcher, Oil on canvas, 77 x 64cm Provenance: The Howard family, Brereton Hall, Cheshire. John Howard, a successful Manchester industrialist purchased Brereton Hall in 1817 and set about remodelling it in the Regency Gothic style. The house was originally built in 1586 by Sir William Brereton (1550-1631). John Howard's dynasty lasted until the early 20th century when the house became a girls boarding school.