The portrait predates Millais' famous depictions of infancy, Cherry Ripe of 1879 (sold in these rooms, 1 July 2004, lot 21), Bubbles of 1886 (Unilever) and The Little Speedwell's Darling Blue of 1891 (Lady Lever Art Gallery,
Port Sunlight). However, he had already established a reputation as a painter of children, whose perception and understanding of his sitters was both sympathetic and intuitive. Pictures such as The Woodman's Daughter
of 1850 (Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London), The Return of the Dove to the Ark of 1851 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford), L'enfant du Regiment of 1854 (Yale Centre for British Art) had captured the innocence of children
and the sentiments that pretty children invoke in adult spectators. The portrait of Miss Davison, dates from one of the most interesting periods in Millais' career, shortly after he painted My First Sermon and My Second
Sermon (Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London; two versions of the former sold in these rooms, 19 November 2008, lot 140 and 15 July 2008, lot 55)
Millais' paintings of children are always characterful; they always have their own personalities and are not simply decorative children. Thus, when he portrayed Miss Davison he captured her chubby grumpiness at being made
to pose for an artist on an oversized piece of furniture, the carved grotesques of which add to the playful humour. Her voluminous white gown compliments the effect of making her appear diminutive. The lacquered cabinet
and painted fan show the fashion for Japanese art in the 1860s, also demonstrated in contemporary work by Rossetti and Tissot.
百度翻译：http://fanyi.baidu.com
