Sir James Jebusa Shannon, R.A., P.R.B.A. (1862-1923)

The pink silk dress worn by the elegant young woman (probably Florence Shannon) in this picture suggests it was painted in the mid-1880s. The square-brush technique deployed by Shannon can also be seen in the works of Henry Herbert La Thangue and John Singer Sargent during that period. This method of applying paint and the interest in high fashion reflect influences from Parisian art and a desire to capture the epoch of the fin-de-siècle.