1655–1700Susannah-Penelope Rosse
Rosse was the elder of two surviving daughters of Richard Gibson, also a miniaturist. In her early years, she learned from her father’s painting skills. Later, she became infatuated with Samuel Cooper’s sketches and copied many of his works. In an item titled Samuel Cooper’s Pocket Book, only four of the paintings are by Cooper, while the remaining nine are by Rosse. Besides her copies, she also painted many original works from life.
After she married Michael Rosse, they moved into Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, where she spent most of her life painting. Nevertheless, neither she nor her husband seems to have received any commissions for these portraits. Many of her works were retained by her throughout her life, since she seems to have painted them for her own pleasure.