Explore the Model of this artwork, Nasturtiums (E. Phillips Fox).
The model in the painting is Fox's friend Edith Susan Gerard Anderson (1878–1961), who was also the model for other paintings by Fox, including On the Balcony, (Fr: Sur le Balcon) and The Green Parasol painted in the same year (1912). Born in Brisbane, Anderson had studied under Fox. Her red hair is notable in many of Fox's paintings. Anderson and her future husband, Penleigh Boyd, were close friends of the artist who "was attracted by her rich auburn hair and grey-green eyes—both fashionable at the time." Fox introduced Anderson to Boyd, who had an adjoining studio in Paris. The two married in October 1912. Their son, Robin Boyd, became one of Australia's best known architects and their nephew, Arthur Boyd, one of Australia's best known painters. The Boyd family owned the painting until its acquisition by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Given these dates, the creation of Nasturtiums and On the Balcony has been estimated as early September 1912.
One critic described paintings such as Nasturtiums and On the Balcony as "full of tender sympathy for the model".
Art Gallery of New South Wales Robin Boyd On the Balcony Edith Susan Gerard Anderson Boyd family Arthur Boyd The Green Parasol