Sophie Anderson
Girl with Lilac
Authenticity guarantee
What is guaranteed?
Sophie Anderson
French
1823 - 1903
Girl with Lilac
signed with initials S.A. (lower left)
oil on canvas
canvas: 8 3/4 by 6 1/2 in.; 22 by 16.5 cm
framed: 16 1/4 by 14 1/4 in.; 41.5 by 36.5 cm
The canvas is unlined. The paint surface is stable and in good condition. Patterns of craquelure throughout. Under UV light, areas of retouching to the figure's cheek and nose.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Girl with Lilac was bought by Dodgson in the same year that Alice in Wonderland was first published, whilst Dodgson lived in Oxford as a lecturer in mathematics – a position he held between 1855 and 1881. A photograph of his sitting-room at Christ Church, Oxford shows several other pictures by Anderson. Girl with Lilac stood on the mantlepiece, to the left, with a portrait of a girl named Minnie Morton on the right. It remained at Christ Church until Dodgson’s death in 1898 and then hung in his sister’s house, The Chestnuts in Guildford. It only left the Dodgson family in 1998, a hundred years after his death.