SOPHIE ANDERSON (1823-1903)
Orange Blossom



oil on canvas, signed
size 14" x 12"
Price on application

Sophie Anderson was born in Paris but spent much of her early life in America, where she met and married her husband, the English artist Walter Anderson. She exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1855 and 1896 and at other institutions. Her work is loosely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement and she specialised in genre painting of children and women. Orange Blossom became a symbol of fertility in the Victorian era. Queen Victoria herself wore a wreath of orange blossoms on her wedding day. Doing so increased the demand for the flower tenfold. Everyone dutifully followed the example of Queen Victoria and used orange blossoms to accent their weddings. The artist, Sophie Anderson, hit the press headlines in November 2008 when a world record price for her work of more than £1 million was achieved by Sotheby's in London for her painting "No Walk Today".