David Garrick and Hannah Pritchard in a Scene from 'The Suspicious Husband'

Francis Hayman's painting depicts David Garrick and Hannah Pritchard as 'Ranger' and 'Clarinda' in Act IV, Scene IV of 'The Suspicious Husband', a comedy by Dr. Benjamin Hoadly which was first performed at Covent Garden on 12 February 1747, with these two actors in the lead roles. Ranger has been flirting with a masked lady, unaware that she is his cousin. This is the moment when Clarinda is unmasked and a disgruntled Ranger declares to the audience 'I must brazen this out'.

By the 1750s, David Garrick (1717-1779) was a well-established actor of both Shakespearean and contemporary parts. Hannah Pritchard (1711-1768) joined Garrick at Drury Lane Theatre when he took over its management in 1747. Wife of the actor John Pritchard, she was a leading actress on the London stage for many years.

Best known for the large decorative canvases that he painted for Vauxhall Gardens during the 1730s and 1740s, Hayman was also a painter of history, portraits, theatrical scenes and conversation pieces. He worked at Drury Lane Theatre early in his career as a scene painter.