Louise Jopling (1843-1933)

Through the Looking Glass - Self Portrait

This painting can now be viewed at Tate Britain, London .

This superb oil on canvas self portrait painting is by British Victorian female artist Louise Jopling. Painted in 1875, when the artist was pregnant with her son Lindsay, the painting is a three quarter length self portrait of the artist painting herself from a reflection. She is seated wearing a light blue gown and mop hat and holds a palette and brushes. There is an oriental screen behind and various objects in the room. The brush work and impasto are fantastic. It is an absolutely charming self portrait by a prominent Victorian female portrait painter.
A research project on Louise Jopling and her circle has been in progress at the University of Glasgow since 2005. The project aims to document her career as a leading female artist and her close-knit artistic, literary and theatrical world of late 19th century London and Paris. It also seeks to understand better the climate in which women then practised as artists and, more generally, the climate for women's growing participation in the workplace and in public life.

Signed and dated 1875 lower right.

Provenance Christies London. Label verso. 

Tate Britian say: 

Tate Britain has made an exceptional acquisition, bringing to light the often-overlooked brilliance of Louise Jopling, a pioneering English artist whose legacy has languished in obscurity for over a century. Jopling, a prominent figure in the 19th-century art scene and a staunch suffragist, was sidelined by an art establishment that failed to recognise her professional achievements.
The painting in question, a captivating self-portrait created in 1875 during Jopling’s pregnancy with her son, Lindsay, is a poignant nod to her talent and resilience. Titled “Through the Looking Glass,” this artwork is a gateway into Jopling’s world and her remarkable journey as a woman artist in Victorian England.

Click below for link to Tate Britian article
https://artlyst.com/people/victorian-painter-louise-jopling-portrait-acquired-by-tate-britain/

Click below for link to other female artists at Richard Taylor Fine Art
https://www.richardtaylorfineart.com/gallery/female-artists