From the flowing silk of Ellinor Guthrie’s dress to the delicate petals of the flowers she arranges, Leighton renders the material world so sensuously as to make his scene feel almost real. The opulence of Guthrie’s clothing and surroundings not only creates a world of visual pleasure but also reflects her social status. The daughter of James Stirling, who drove Britain’s colonization of Western Australia and became the colony’s first governor, Ellinor became even wealthier when she married a banker, James Alexander Guthrie. Sittings for this portrait were delayed by a long recovery following the birth of her fifth child. The wilting flowers may allude to the fragility of her health.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025

百度翻译：http://fanyi.baidu.com

   Frederic Leighton trained in Frankfurt, Paris, and Rome, only settling in London in 1859, where he helped introduce Continental ideas about aestheticism and "art for art’s sake." He became president of the Royal Academy in 1878. Leighton was selective about painting portraits but was sympathetic to Ellinor Guthrie (1838–1911), the daughter of James Stirling, the first governor of Western Australia. Born in Perth but raised partly in England, Ellinor married the Scottish merchant banker James Alexander Guthrie in 1856. The Guthries lived in the fashionable and affluent Portland Place in London, and, between 1857 and 1868, they had nine children. Sittings for this portrait took place after Ellinor had recovered from the birth of her fifth daughter in October 1864. In April 1865 she went into mourning when her father died, which may explain her somber, though luxurious, black dress.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2020

百度翻译：http://fanyi.baidu.com