Portrait of Emily, Lady Tennyson 1858

Curator: This is George Frederic Watts' delicate pencil drawing, "Portrait of Emily, Lady Tennyson," now residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's a ghostly quality to this sketch. The soft graphite rendering gives Emily a sense of ethereality, like she might fade away at any moment. Curator: Watts really captures a particular Victorian ideal of feminine beauty, don't you think? The profile is so classical, almost like a cameo. Perhaps intentionally echoing images of ancient figures of women. Editor: Absolutely, the profile view lends itself to iconic representation. The slight downward gaze carries a connotation of quiet contemplation, maybe even melancholy, which was definitely a part of the Victorian sensibility. Curator: It’s interesting how Watts chose such a simple medium for the portrait. Pencil on paper feels so intimate. Editor: It does, doesn’t it? This image conveys the essence of a person, distilled through the artist's hand. Curator: Looking at it now, I wonder if Watts saw her as an emblem, too. Editor: It's a tender rendition that makes me wonder about the quiet stories faces tell us across time.