Miss Jekyll’s Gardening Boots
- Artist: Sir William Nicholson
- Date: 1920
- Medium: Oil paint on wood
- Dimensions: support: 324 x 400 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is “Miss Jekyll’s Gardening Boots” by Sir William Nicholson. The oil on wood shows Gertrude Jekyll in the 1920s, a celebrated garden designer who worked with architect Edwin Lutyens. At seventy‑six she was rather selective about sittings – Nicholson captured her boots while he waited for that late‑afternoon appointment.
It’s an intimate study of character expressed through footwear; Nicholson had also painted hats and shoes elsewhere. The boots themselves are ordinary army‑style, a pair she used daily in her gardens. Their simple form lets us see the light play across leather and wood, giving life to a humble object.
The canvas is small – about 32 × 40 cm – yet its detail is striking. It was dedicated “For E.L.” and presented as a gift to Lutyens, showing Nicholson’s appreciation of his patron’s role in Jekyll’s life. His portrait of Miss Jekyll can be seen at the National Portrait Gallery, making this piece a companion study in personality.
The painting appeared first in 1927, then 1933, and later was part of “Art of the Garden” in 2004–05, reinforcing its link to landscape culture. It’s a concise but rich snapshot of a woman whose daily work shaped gardens across England.
See it in person
Miss Jekyll’s Gardening Boots is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, 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.
