Jenny Lind
- Artist: Eduard Magnus
- Date: circa 1861
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 46 1/2 in. x 37 1/4 in. (1181 mm x 946 mm)
- Portrays: Johanna Maria ('Jenny') Lind
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This portrait shows Johanna Maria “Jenny” Lind, the Swedish soprano who dazzled Europe with her voice in the 1840s. She sits with a calm posture, her face lit by soft oil paint that reveals gentle brushstrokes and subtle shading. The canvas, about 46 inches high and 37 wide, is an oil on canvas finished around 1861 – a faithful replica by Eduard Magnus based on an original work from 1846.
You’ll notice the fine detail in her costume: a modest dress typical of stage attire then, with delicate embroidery that catches the light. The background is plain, drawing your eye to her eyes and the subtle play of shadow on her cheekbones.
Lind’s first London debut in 1847 earned Queen Victoria a bouquet; she retired from the stage by 1849 but stayed in Britain after 1858 and eventually taught at the Royal College of Music. The portrait, bequeathed by her son in 1951, reminds us of that brief, luminous moment when her voice could fill an opera house.
See it in person
Jenny Lind 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.
