Tuesday 23rd December - Woman Reading

Well, today is the penultimate day of Blogvent and I have a really busy day of prepping.  We're at my Dad's tomorrow for 'Christmas' so I need to get everything ready in terms of food and our traditional croissants for Christmas morning (like my Mum used to make) and so let's crack on with today...

Woman Reading (c.1900) George Henry Boughton

I liked this quiet painting of a woman reading in a rose garden and it is a classic example of a simple image that might hold more in its meaning. The roses that surround her are blush-pink, meaning joy, admiration, gratitude and a more gentle love than a more passionate red. I always perk up when a woman is wearing black in a painting and I wondered about this woman's scarf, coupled with her purple dress - could she be in half-mourning? I wondered if she was a widow slowly coming out of mourning because she had found love again. I think she is in love with the chap who owns the house we can see behind her. I wonder if she is the same woman as in this painting...

The Lady of the Snows (c.1896)

I've used that painting before in Blogvent, not least because of her impressive muff.  I definitely used her for Muffvent where I crowned this the 'mother of all muffs' - no, my parents aren't even vaguely proud of me, in case you were wondering, I shame myself. Anyway, in that post I gave quite a thorough biography for Mr Boughton, including his dalliance with Violet Hunt, which gives me an excuse to show you this picture...

THE CAT.

Anyway, I did wonder if our Violet was the woman in the paintings as there is a passing resemblance, but I think their affair (which began around the mid 1880s) was over by the late '90s.  She was off catching syphilis from diplomat Oswald Crawfurd by then (allegedly) (charming).

Turning back to our reading lady in her garden, I did wonder if she was actually looking at the page. Her gaze seems to be a little higher, as if she is lost in thought - is she reading something that reminds her of her lost person? The pink roses hint at romance, so I wondered if that is why her mind is wandering, remembering the love she used to have or the love that is slowly blooming. Either way, I hope she gets out of her mourning and into a new affair, but hopefully not with a married diplomat with syphilis.

See you tomorrow for the finale...