A Girl's Head 1886

The model for this painting was Mary (Polly) Baldwin who was a maid at the artist's house in Cookham Dean. She features in several of Clausen's works from the 1880s. Many artists in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain were particularly influenced by Jules Bastien-Lepage, a French painter of sentimental rural imagery described as 'Impressionism corrected' by Emile Zola. His example is evident here not only in the subject but also in Clausen's use of square-ended brushes to block in his design. Clausen was a founder of the New English Art Club, but later became a senior figure at the Royal Academy and was knighted in 1927.

Clausen's account book indicates that he painted a number of girl's heads during the spring and summer months of 1886. These vary in size.

PS Actually for a long time, I wanted to know as to who was the model.