Ellen Terry
- Artist: Margaret Winser
- Date: 1928
- Medium: plaster
- Dimensions: 8 7/8 in. x 5 7/8 in. (225 mm x 150 mm) overall
- Portrays: Dame Ellen Alice Terry
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is a plaster cast of the death mask made in 1928 by Margaret Winser. The small size—about 225 × 150 mm—shows fine detail: the curve of her mouth, the gentle slope of hair, and the depth where eyes rested. It was taken the day after Dame Ellen Terry died at age 81; Winser took a mold from her face to create three casts. Her son Edward described it as “a young beautiful woman lay on the bed like Juliet on her bier.” This intimate record lives in the National Portrait Gallery.
See it in person
Ellen Terry 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.
