My Beautiful Lady 1848

Sir John Everett Millais made this pencil drawing, My Beautiful Lady, on paper, at an unknown date. Millais used graphite pencils, which, in the mid-19th century, had only recently become an easily accessible material thanks to industrial manufacturing processes. The delicate graphite lines create a soft focus around the forms. This is a tonal sketch, using thin applications of graphite to build up areas of light and shadow to give the figures form, weight, and volume. Millais skillfully renders the naturalistic details of the flora. The artist's choice of graphite on paper is a reminder of how industrialization democratized art materials. The availability of affordable materials, combined with traditional skill, allowed for the production of images that were not only aesthetically pleasing but also accessible to a wider audience, influencing both the creation and consumption of art. We can appreciate the beauty in this drawing and consider the intersection of art, industry, and society in Millais’s work.