One of Our Conquerors

Frank Dicksee 1853 - 1928

Summary

A three-quarter length portrait of a young woman in pale Edwardian dress with lacy shoulders, an embroidered bodice (onto which a purple flower is pinned), a lace collar and voluminous sleeves, wearing a large, plumed, black hat. She is standing with her hands behind her back, holding her white gloves, head turned slightly to the right. She portrayed against a textured, brown background.

Display Label

One of Our Conquerors 1903 Frank Dicksee 1853-1928 Oil on canvas This lavishly dressed lady wears a confection of lace, spotted chiffon and silk with a plumed hat wider even than her own flounced shoulders. Such an outfit would not have been easy to assemble, requiring delicate laundering and intricate ironing, and the assistance of a maid in dressing. A hidden workforce lies behind such opulence. The open, fearless expression on the woman’s face is perhaps what led one reviewer in 1903 to describe her as ‘American in type’. Frank Dicksee achieved success early in his career with ambitious narrative works, but turned increasingly to portraiture in the Edwardian era. This painting itself is part portrait, part story picture. Mr James Thomas Blair bequest 1917.192