Wandering Thoughts
Painting by John Everett Millais
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wandering Thoughts is an oil painting by the English artist John Everett Millais, painted in circa 1854.[1] It is a full-length portrait of a woman in a black dress with a posy of red flowers and green leaves at her bosom, and a letter lying in her lap. She sits in a red chair.
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| Wandering Thoughts | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | John Everett Millais |
| Year | c. 1854 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 35.2 cm × 24.9 cm (13.9 in × 9.8 in) |
| Location | Manchester City Art Gallery, Manchester |
The painting
The woman's black dress and contemplative expression might suggest she is in mourning. Fellow Pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Madox Brown described the painting as "a noble study of Millais, [of] an ugly girl in black receiving bad news".[2]
The painting was owned in 1854 by early Pre-Raphaelite patron Francis McCracken.[3] It was purchased by Manchester City Art Gallery in 1913 from Mr Charles A. Jackson.[4]
At some point in its history, Wandering Thoughts was incorrectly known as Mrs Charles Freeman. It was bought from the Manchester art dealer Charles Jackson under this title.[3] However, Mrs Charles Freeman is an entirely different painting by Millais, from 1862.
