Ellen MacNaghten c.1900 Pastel Portrait of a Lady

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We are delighted to offer for sale this delightful and beautifully executed portrait in pastels by the artist Ellen MacNaghten, who has signed the portrait in the lower right hand corner. The portrait depicts an elegant young lady, in profile, with her blonde hair pulled up into a bun at the back of her head, which is tied with a black ribbon. She is wearing a white dress.

This artist has proved a difficult research project, as we could find no listings on the auction sites, or any biographical information, except for a listing of a photograph in the National Trust Collection at Calke Abbey, which was by an Ellen MacNaghten, who was a Kensington Photographer. The photograph had watercolour additions and was a 3/4 length portrait study. We are not sure whether this was the same person, but the surname is very unusual and there are not many in the country and those are mainly in Scotland.

We also found an Ellen Mary MacNaghten, who was married in 1902, and lived in Chelsea, not that far from Kensington. She was the grandaughter of Sir Francis Workman-MacNaghten, lst Baronet, although his children, other than his heir, were just called MacNaghten. Being a lady of the upper classes, she would have had time to indulge an interest in photography and artistic pursuits. She died in 1951.

The pastel is glazed and is newly framed in a 3 3/8" pale gilt, very decorative frame. It is ready to hang.

Medium Pastels. PriceSOLD DimensionsImage size 20 3/4" x 17" 52.7cm x 43.1cm Frame size 28" x 24 1/8" 71.1cm x 61.2cm Date 1890-1910 Late 19th Century Antiques Material Paper Origin English Condition Excellent condition. No foxing. The frame is new. Item code as237a499 Status Sold

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