Constance ('Connie') (née Gilchrist), Countess of Orkney
- Artist: Elliott & Fry
- Date: 1870
- Medium: albumen carte-de-visite
- Dimensions: 3 5/8 in. x 2 3/8 in. (93 mm x 59 mm) image size
- Portrays: Constance ('Connie') (née Gilchrist), Countess of Orkney
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In this small albumen carte‑de‑visite from the 1870s you see Constance Gilchrist—later Countess of Orkney—captured by the London studio of Elliott & Fry. The tiny frame, just 93 mm by 59 mm, forces a tight composition: her head fills most of the square. She wears a simple lace collar and her hair is neatly pinned back—a typical Victorian style. Light falls from the left, highlighting cheekbones.
This photo comes from a series that featured many sitters; Constance was already an established child model when she worked with painters like Frederic Leighton and James Whistler. By the time this image was taken, she had become a stage actress known for her skipping‑rope routine at the Gaiety Theatre in 1877. A few years later she married Edmond Walter FitzMaurice, 7th Earl of Orkney, and assumed the title Countess.
See it in person
Constance ('Connie') (née Gilchrist), Countess of Orkney is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
