Ellen ('Nellie') Farren
- Artist: Walford Graham Robertson
- Date: 1902
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 1/2 in. x 24 in. (775 mm x 610 mm)
- Portrays: Ellen ('Nellie') Farren
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In this oil on canvas portrait by Walford Graham Robertson we see the London burlesque star Ellen “Nellie” Farren, age 54. She’s dressed as the young male hero Ruy Blas from her hit musical “Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué.” The costume is a simple black suit with a wide brim hat that covers the back of her head. Robertson captures her face with soft light, hinting at the theatrical charisma she was known for in the Gaiety Theatre where she famously played male roles from 1868 onward. This work was gifted to the gallery by Robertson himself in 1943, a fitting tribute to both his friendship and Farren’s stage legacy.
See it in person
Ellen ('Nellie') Farren 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.
