A Social Eddy (or 'Left by the Tide')

Artist Sir William Quiller Orchardson (Edinburgh, Scotland, 1832 - 1910)

Date1878

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 81 cm, Width: 117 cm
Frame: Height: 121.5 cm, Width: 157.5 cm

AcquisitionAlexander Macdonald Bequest, 1901.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG004496

Keywords

About MeA native of Edinburgh, where he studied under Robert Scott Lauder, Orchardson moved to London in the 1860s. His success was due mainly to an ability to satisfy both the critical spectator's desire for qualities of draughtsmanship, colour and composition and the Victorian taste for narrative and 'problem' pictures.

The awkward posture of the young woman's hands and feet make manifest her psychological tension. Large, empty spaces versus crowded ones emphasise her isolation. We are left to speculate whether this is a straightforward story of a shy young woman, or whether her discomposure is the result of some unknown subtext.

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Orchardson's study of Regency high society provides a fascinating but unresolved narrative. Is the young lady waiting for someone to return? Is she simply shy or exhausted, or has she become a wallflower?