Lot 76: Portrait of a young girl with her pet rabbit

Francis Montague ('Frank') Holl, R.A., A.R.W.S. (1845-88) Portrait of a young girl with her pet rabbit signed and dated 'Frank Holl 1882' (lower right) oil on canvas 41 5/8 x 32¾ in. (105.7 x 83.2 cm.)

Frank Holl was a pioneer of Victorian social realism and a successful portrait painter. As an illustrator for The Graphic he often depicted scenes of working class life, and his awareness of current issues inspired works such as Newgate - Committed for Trial (1878), which had a great impact on public consciousness, much in the manner of Dickens' novels.

Holl began painting portraits in 1877 and immediately showed a facility which secured important commissions. His sitters included Gladstone and the Prince of Wales. It is tempting to identify the present sitter as his youngest daughter Phyllis, though she would have been a teenager by 1882.