{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O176557"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O176557/"}},"images":null,"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O176557","accessionNumber":"E.754-2005","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Photograph of Effie Millais (b.1858) in a garden at Eastwood, Dunkeld","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Effie Millais (b. 1858) was the daughter of Euphemia ('Effie') Chalmers Gray (1828-1897) and Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896).  Her mother had previously married the art critic, author, poet and artist, John Ruskin (1819-1900), in 1846.  Shortly after their marriage, however, Ruskin introduced Euphemia to his friend and protegée, Millais, and while she modelled for Millais' painting, <i>The Order of Release</i> (1853), she fell in love with him.  Ruskin had been unwilling to consummate his marriage and, despite having been married for several years, Euphemia was still a virgin. In 1854, therefore, Euphemia annulled her marriage to Ruskin and married Millais the following year.  They had eight children, Effie their eldest daughter.  Effie was the model for her father’s painting, <i>The Minuet</i> (1866).  She married Major William Christopher James and bore him a son, Willie James, who was the model for Millais’ famous painting, <i>Bubbles</i> (1886).\r\n\r\nThe Millais family lived mostly in London but spent long summer holidays at Annet Lodge near Bowerswell, Perthshire.  Here, Millais executed many of his best known paintings and enjoyed the company of likeminded friends, including Rupert Potter (1832-1914), the father of the children's writer and illustrator, Beatrix Potter (1866-1943).  The Potters, too, spent many long summers in Perthshire, staying first at Dalguise House, then later at Eastwood, a large house on the bank of the Tay in Dunkeld.  An enthusiastic and skilled amateur photographer, Rupert photographed pleasant summer afternoons in the company of the Millais family; this photograph is one of several of Millais’ daughter, Effie, taken at Eastwood in 1879.\r\n\r\nRupert also assisted Millais by photographing backgrounds for paintings and sitters for portraits.  Beatrix recounted one particularly memorable sitting in July 1884 when her father photographed the former prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), for Millais’ second portrait of him, completed in 1885: ' Papa has been photographing old Gladstone this morning at Mr. Millais'…  They kept off politics of course, and talked about photography.  Mr. Gladstone talked of it on a large scale, but not technically.  What would it come to, how far would the art be carried, did papa think people would ever be able to photograph in colours?' (Journal, Monday 28th July 1884).","physicalDescription":"Sepia photograph of a young lady, Effie Millais, seated in a garden, framed by foliage.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Potter, Rupert (1832-1914)","id":"A19569"},"association":{"text":"photographers","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Albumen print on paper","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"},{"text":"Tourism & Travel","id":"THES250702"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":[],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"X","shelf":"44","box":"A"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Eastwood House","id":"x43417"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1879","earliest":"1874-01-01","latest":"1883-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Joan Duke","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"132","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"121","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Effie Millais / R Potter'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inscription in pencil by Rupert Potter on verso"}],"objectHistory":"Joan Duke gifted a collection of photographs by Rupert Potter to the Museum in 1983. Part of the gift was subsequently given to the Photographs section of (what is now) the Word & Image Department (E.739-2005 - E.765-2005). The rest is catalogued on the museum's object database as AR.14:1-42-1983. \r\n\r\nA second gift from Joan Duke, the Duke Collection, was subsequently acquired by the Museum in 2006, accessioned as AAD/2006/4 but catalogued individually on the library and object databases.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph of Effie Millais (b.1858), daughter of Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896) and Euphemia ('Effie') Chalmers Gray (1828-1897), seated in a garden, probably at Eastwood, Dunkeld; albumen print by Rupert Potter (1832-1914), ca. 1879.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"The V&A holds other photographs of Effie Millais taken by Rupert Potter at Eastwood in 1879.","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Eastwood House","id":"x43417"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Millais, Effie (b.1858)","id":"N7834"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"women","id":"AAT25943"},{"text":"gardens","id":"AAT8090"},{"text":"leaf (plant material)","id":"AAT11892"},{"text":"shrubs","id":"AAT132407"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.754-2005"],"accessionNumberNum":"754","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":2005,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-07-25","recordCreationDate":"2008-12-03","availableToBook":false}}