Portrait of a Young Woman
- Artist: Meredith Frampton
- Date: 1935
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 2057 x 1079 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Portrait of a Young Woman” by Meredith Frampton, painted in 1935. The sitter, Margaret Austin‑Jones, stands in a relaxed contrapposto, her gaze steady and a little distant. She’s dressed in a floor‑length silk gown with an ivory skirt and pale lilac bodice, her left arm crossed across her body, right arm resting near her chest. Frampton had a very specific idea of what objects would sit beside her – a cello leaning against a stone pedestal, a stack of books on top, a round side‑table with a half‑unfurling scroll, a cello bow, and a white vase that he himself designed. The vase holds a tree branch with glossy leaves, echoing the curves of the cello and the scroll. The cello is a nod to Margaret’s love of music, an “appropriate symbol” as Frampton himself noted.
Although it follows the full‑length portrait tradition of Van Dyck and Gainsborough, the precision of Frampton’s brushwork and the clean, almost modern palette give it a distinctly contemporary feel. He didn’t rely on photographs; instead he drew directly with the brush, working slowly over a year. The result is a stillness that feels both historic and fresh, a celebration of objects that “are beautiful in their own right.”
See it in person
Portrait of a Young Woman 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.
