John Wollaston was born in London. His father was a portrait painter, and he trained with "a noted drapery painter in London." In 1749 he went to New York City, where he began painting fashionable, British-style portraits for wealthy Americans. Wollaston stayed in the colonies for eighteen years, painting portraits in New York, Philadelphia, Annapolis, Virginia, and Charleston, making him the most widely-traveled painter in Colonial America.

Like many artists working in America, Wollaston used English aristocratic portraits as source material. He was able to draw from his firsthand experiences in London and from the English mezzotint engravings which were brought to the colonies. His portraits are characterized by their relaxed poses, natural settings, shimmering fabrics, and distinctive almond-shaped eyes. This portrait depicts Elizabeth Plumstead, whose father and grandfather both served multiple terms as Mayor of Philadelphia.