A painter as well as an art critic, Wells was highly regarded among her peers, even receiving praise from writer John Ruskin, but died young, soon after the birth of her third child. She made this preparatory study of Eaton as the ancient Syrian Queen Zenobia in anticipation of painting a large historical scene. Dressed in a luxurious silk shawl and wearing a glinting pearl earring, Eaton is the picture of regal poise and opulent wealth, though in life she sat for many Pre-Raphaelite artists to supplement her income as a domestic worker. Having migrated from Jamaica to London, she married James Eaton, a horse-cab driver with whom she had ten children.
Text: Yale Center for British Art.
