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The Blue Dress: PD.184-1975

An image of Painting
View image details Mirador icon - view image Mirador deep zoom IIIF Manifest IIIF Manifest Slow looking

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Alternative views

An image of Painting
An image of Painting
Current Location: In storage

Titles

The Blue Dress
Translated as: My soft heart is always liable to injury by light weapons / And the perpetual reason is that I am always in love
Molle meum levibus cor est violabile telis / Et semper causa est cur ego semper amem

Maker(s)

Painter: Steer, Philip Wilson

Entities

Categories

Notes

History note: F.H. Hoare; with Lockett Thomson, Barbizon House, London, 1937; G. John Scaramanga; bequeathed by G. John Scaramanga to his widow, 1972

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1975) by Scaramanga, G. John, Mrs

Dating

1890s
Production date: AD 1892 : Though dated 1892, the picture appears to have been started in 1891.

Note

The sitter was a well-known model named Rose Pettigrew, much employed by Steer.

School or Style

British

People, subjects and objects depicted

Materials used in production

Oil paint

Components of the work

Support composed of canvas
Frame Depth 8.5 cm Height 109.5 cm Width 89.5 cm
Canvas Height 91.5 cm Width 70.5 cm

Techniques used in production

Painting (image-making) : Oil on canvas

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: P W Steer
  • Location: Upper left
  • Type: Signature
  • Text: 92
  • Location: Upper left
  • Type: Date
  • Text: Arts Council, Wilson Steer exhibition
  • Location: Verso
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Label
  • Text: Barbizon House
  • Location: Verso
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: PD.184-1975
Primary reference Number: 3955

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 15 October 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "The Blue Dress" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/3955 Accessed: 2025-12-05 22:41:55

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/3955 |title=The Blue Dress |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 22:41:55|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/PD_184_1975_201501_adn21_dc2.jpg"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Blue Dress</figcaption>
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