Daydreams

This small, velvet clad girl is the artist's daugther.  John Everet Millais often painted children; one of his most famous paintings is of a small boy blowing bubbles which was used by the soap makers Pears in an advertisment within Millais' lifetime.    Millais was one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists at odds with the art establishment of the day who attempted to return their art to what they considered the purer values of an earlier time.  The Brotherhood was short lived but had a long lasting impact.   It is possible that Millais was one of  the members of the Pre-Raphaelites Brotherhood who visited Penkill in Ayrshire. He is certainly known to have spent time painting in Perthshire.  His wife was from there so the family made regular visits during which  Millais would spend time painting the local scenery.