England, 19th century / 1868
Mary Walker Waugh
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mary Walker Waugh as painting (England, 19th century · 1868).
British novelist Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966) once owned this portrait, which depicts his great aunt.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on fabric and credits William Holman Hunt (British, 1827–1910).
The museum's collection notes: William Holman Hunt painted this portrait of Mary Walker Waugh (1805–1886)—his mother-in-law—during a time of personal tragedy. Waugh’s daughter Fanny Waugh Hunt (1832–1866), the wife of the artist, had recently died following childbirth. References to loss of life infiltrate the composition: the sitter wears black mourning attire, and behind her is a screen decorated with red poppies, a traditional symbol of unconsciousness and lifelessness because of its pharmaceutical use as a source for opiates. In Victorian society, the red poppy also signified consolation.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMary Walker WaughOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.