Magnolia
James Jebusa Shannon American
This painting shows the London-based artist’s daughter holding a sprig of magnolia blossoms, which in Victorian literature were often a sign of a character’s love of nature. The costume and the stylized fleur-de-lis motifs that decorate the green backdrop suggest a somewhat contrived presentation of the girl as a “dress-up” princess. The artist’s only child and one of his favorite models, Kitty Shannon (1887–1974) appears in many of his paintings. She later wrote several books, including an autobiography, published in 1933.
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