Gwen John
- Artist: Gwendolen Mary ('Gwen') John
- Date: circa 1900
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 24 in. x 14 7/8 in. (610 mm x 378 mm)
- Portrays: Gwendolen Mary ('Gwen') John
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is Gwen John’s self‑portrait, painted around 1900. In oil on canvas, the artist positions herself fully in frame, her hand resting on her hip and a bright black bow framing her neck. Her russet blouse folds neatly over her shoulders, while her eye meets ours with a confident line that stays within the canvas. The colours are subtle; she applies paint with careful dabs, bringing out the soft creases of cloth and the sharpness of the bow.
At twenty‑four, John had already studied at the Slade School in London and at Whistler’s Académie Carmen in Paris. A few years later she would settle permanently in France, working closely with Rodin and exhibiting from London to New York. This early self‑portrait shows a woman ready for that next chapter, her gaze steady and assertive, her composition filling the canvas with quiet strength.
See it in person
Gwen John 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.
