Ellen Terry ('Choosing')

Sitterback to top

• Dame (Alice) Ellen Terry (1847-1928), Actress. Sitter in 145 portraits.

Artistback to top

• George Frederic Watts (1817-1904), Painter and sculptor. Artist associated with 85 portraits, Sitter in 40 portraits.

This portraitback to top

This delicate yet sensuous portrait shows the seventeen-year-old Ellen Terry choosing between the camellias, which despite their luscious appearance have little scent, and the violets in her hand which are far humbler in appearance but smell sweeter. The choice, which is symbolic of that between worldly vanities and higher virtues, had a personal significance for the artist and the sitter. 1864 was the year in which Terry gave up the stage to marry Watts, thirty years her senior, and to be educated by him. The marriage lasted barely a year, and despite Watts's disapproval, Terry eventually returned to the stage. The portrait is framed in an enriched version of what became known as a Watts frame.

Linked publicationsback to top

• Audio Guide
• Victorian Portraits Resource Pack, p. 28
• I-Spy National Portrait Gallery, 2010, p. 39
• Bryant, Barbara, G.F. Watts: Portraits, Fame & Beauty in Victorian Society, 2004 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 14 October 2004 to 9 January 2005), p. 135
• Cooper, John, Visitor's Guide, 2000, p. 79
• Cooper, John, A Guide to the National Portrait Gallery, 2009, p. 42
• Funnell, Peter, Victorian Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery Collection, 1996, p. 28
• Funnell, Peter (introduction); Marsh, Jan, A Guide to Victorian and Edwardian Portraits, 2011, p. 33
• Gibson, Robin, Treasures from the National Portrait Gallery, 1996, p. 91
• Hayward, Tony (foreword), BP Portrait Award 2007, 2007 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 14 June to 16 September 2007), p. 11
• Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: An Illustrated Guide, 2000, p. 133
• Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 133
• Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 609
• Simon, Jacob, The Art of the Picture Frame: Artists, Patrons and the Framing of Portraits in Britain, 1997 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 8 November 1996 - 9 February 1997), p. 75
• Truss, Lynne, Character Sketches: Tennyson and His Circle, 1999, p. 41

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

• G.F. Watts: Portraits - Fame & Beauty in Victorian Society (14 October 2004 - 9 January 2005)

Subjects & Themesback to top

• Actresses tour
• Flowers and plants
• In profile
• Jewellery
• On display at the Gallery