The Mirror

Walter Richard Sickert 1860 - 1942

Summary

A bright oil sketch of Therese Lessore, the wife of the artist, seen through a mirror, seated at a table in the foreground, with her head resting on one arm. There is a domestic interior background of a wall hung with indistinct pictures.

Display Label

The Mirror about 1916 -17 Walter Richard Sickert 1860 - 1942 Oil on millboard The young woman seated alone holds her head in a gesture of weariness or sadness. The painting’s title suggests that the artist is looking at her reflection in a mirror and is therefore seated nearby. She is thought to be Thérèse Lessore (1884 - 1945), an artist who later became Sickert’s second wife. The setting is probably a French café or bar in which the single figure is set square amidst the almost abstract geometry of the interior. The establishment appears to be empty of customers, emphasising the mood of isolation and loneliness. Charles Lambert Rutherston gift 1925.272