Portrait of Rose La Touche
c. 1862 Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
About this artwork
A delicate circular portrait of a young girl, Rose La Touche, rendered in profile against a soft blue background. The artwork captures her with blonde hair and a serene expression.
Did you know?
John Ruskin, the prominent Victorian art critic, developed a deep and controversial affection for Rose La Touche, his pupil, when she was a child. This tender portrait likely captures her in her youth, long before his unsuccessful marriage proposal when she was eighteen, a rejection that deeply affected him and contributed to his later mental health struggles. The unrequited love story of Ruskin and Rose remains one of the more poignant and debated aspects of his complex personal life.
On your wall. Unlock the HD download and keep this piece in your Vault — forever.
Know the artwork. Knowing its title and artist turns a beautiful image into a story worth sharing — with a museum label:
Portrait of Rose La Touche
John Ruskin, c. 1862
