A portrait of Annie Gambart (1835-1870), who was the third wife of Ernest Gambart, the great Victorian art dealer and publisher.
She married him in 1851 at just sixteen, half the dealer's age. Gambart seems to have indulged her every whim at first with beautiful clothes and jewellery. However in 1867 the couple separated and Annie went on to die of liver disease at the early age of 35.
Provenance
Commissioned by Ernest Gambart for his wedding; by descent in the Gambart family; Jeremy Maas, early 1960s; private collection, circa 1965.