Study of Fanny Eaton (Head of a Mulatto Woman)

Joanna Boyce Wells (1831-1861)

1861

Oil on paper laid to linen

6 3/4 x 5 3/8 inches (17.1 x 13.7 cm)

Collection: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund (Accession Number B1991.29)

Fanny Eaton (1835-1924) was a Jamaican-born model, the daughter of a former slave on a British-owned plantation (see Figes), so she was, quite probably in view of her mother's surname, of mixed race. She sat for several of the Pre-Raphaelites. [Commentary continues below.]

Image released as being in the public domain. Commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee.[Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]