“Portrait of A Girl, adorned with cowslips, bluebells and a daisy” by Michael Frederick Halliday (original) (raw)

Portrait of A Girl, adorned with cowslips, bluebells and a daisy

Michael Frederick Halliday

1868

Oil on panel

8 x 6 inches (20.3 x 15.2 cm).

Private Collection

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J. E. Millais again influenced this work, particularly his painting The Bridesmaid of 1851. In The Bridesmaid, instead of a daisy pinned to the centre of her dress, the young woman has a sprig of orange blossoms, a traditional symbol of chastity. The flowers Halliday has included in his fancy portrait of a young girl may also have symbolic meanings in the language of flowers, particularly the daisies which symbolize innocence and purity. Cowslips can symbolize comeliness and winning grace while bluebells can be a symbol of humility, constancy, and gratitude. Surprisingly Halliday’s portrait may have in turn influenced Millais the following year in his fancy portrait of Mary Eyres seen in profile, similarly garlanded, and known as Meditation. In Meditation the young girl has a wreath of passion flowers and spiky green leaves in her hair and a corsage of fuchsias, anemones, and carnations on her chest. — Dennis T. Lanigan

Last modified 21 February 2022