In 1857 English Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais painted a Portrait of Sophie Gray, the sister of Millais’s wife and muse Effie Gray.
Millais exploits the decorative nature of the long tresses of Sophie’s hair which frame a face that is self-possessed and confidently looks out at the viewer and could almost be mistaken as a modern portrait.
Millais and both Sophie and Effie Grey were prominent figures in the Pre-Raphaelite movement, with Sophie modeling for works such as Autumn Leaves.
John Everett Millais’s Portrait of Sophie Gray is in a private collection and is frequently exhibited.