Original oil on canvas 'Mrs Enthoven' by Ethel Wright 1866-1939. Exhibited at the Royal Academy 1911. No. 498

Splendid portrait of Gabriel Enthoven 1868-1950. A full description of her life can be found in Wikipedia. Ethel Wright was a society portrait painter who in the years before the 1st World War was a suffragette and painted among others Christabel Pankhurst ( the painting is in the Government collection. Gabriel Enthoven was also a suffragette and this portrait shows her wearing an emblematic white carnation She was born in 1866 and as a young girl knew Oscar Wilde who dedicated a poem to her. She married a Major Charles Enthoven who died in 1910 and it is recorded that 'she did not attend his funeral'. She was wealthy and an inveterate 'first nighter' in London theatre land. she became friends with many actors including Sir John Gielgud and Noel Coward. In the early 1920's she lived for a time in New York with Cecile Sartoris working on writing and translating plays. During this period Noel Coward was a house guest with the instructions that when he had earned some money he could begin paying rent. Back in London, she was part of a group called the Circle. This was a the Haute monde group of mainly Lesbian artist's and writers and for some years she was a central part of them. She fell out with two of them and there is a fascinating blog by Eve Smith of the V & A which goes into detail about Gabriel's sexuality. https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/the-private-life-of-gabrielle-enthoven A Museum quality painting with a great story line The painting is framed in a quality late Victorian/ early Edwardian swept frame. The canvas size is 40" x 30". Framed size is 50" x 40" More pictures available if required.