The mystery surrounding this portrait is what makes it so special, and deserving of a place on our 20 star objects. The piece has been in our collection since 1986, some four years before the Museum was developed and opened to the public.
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| on display in our gallery |
Our curator, Clare Lyall, once named this her 'favourite object' and claimed it 'stood out' in our collection maybe because the lady in the image is unknown, and adding to the air of mystery, the fact we are not even sure who donated the artwork to the museum, as there is no record of it arriving.
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| Left: Joanna Turner. Right: The mystery lady. Both Trowbridge Museum's collection |
It has been suggested that the face in the oval, gold leaf ornate frame belongs to that of Joanna Turner of the United Church. However there is no real evidence that shows that this is the case, and the dates don’t quite match up. (The mystery lady portrait is thought to date from 1840 onwards and Joanna Turner C18th)
After years of puzzling staff a member of the public enlightened us, as she had two family portraits in her possession and thought that they were very similar in style to the work in the museum, so it is believed the artist behind the mystery is Eden Upton Eddis, 1812-1901, he painted a number of portraits of leading figures of the day including Lord Macaulay, Archbishop Sumner and Sydney Smith and exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1837 and 1881.
So whether she is a Lady of class, a member of Eden’s family, or a young lady who was in the right place at the right time, we’re sure we can all agree, that this young lady, proudly displaying her wedding band has created a beautiful mystery, that is perhaps nicer left unsolved.
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