A Young Beauty, by Edward R. Hughes (1851-1914). 1875. Oil on canvas. 10 x 7 ½ inches (25.4 x 7 ½ inches). Private collection. Image courtesy of Sotheby's. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Hughes was in demand as a portrait painter which helped to financially support the artist and his family throughout his career. He also did portraits in chalk and was particularly known for his striking ones in red chalk. Although he did not particularly enjoy painting portraits, the importance of this branch of artistic activity can be shown by the fact that In the English census of 1881 Hughes's profession is listed as "Artist (Portrait Painter)."
From the title A Young Beauty it is presumed this portrait was intended as a "fancy picture" rather than a conventional portrait per se, but it is certainly very reminiscent of Hughes's Portrait of Mrs. Cecelia Bowen-Summers painted the previous year, in 1874. Both feature attractive young women in profile, or three-quarter profile, to the left and with a background of flowering shrubs. This type of work harkens back to the Venetian-influenced paintings of attractive young woman popular within the Pre-Raphaelite circle in the 1860s, a trend instituted by D. G. Rossetti's portrait of 1859 of Fanny Cornforth entitled Boca Baciata.
Bibliography
19th Century European Art. New York: Sotheby's (9 May 2013): lot 24.
Created 2 May 2026