Emily Mary OsbornNameless and Friendless. "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, etc." - Proverbs, x, 15 1857

Emily Mary Osborn was a genre painter who specialised in the theme of the victimised and distressed young woman. Nameless and Friendless is her most famous work and shows an impoverished young female artist, accompanied by her younger brother, attempting to sell one of her pictures to a dealer. The picture contains subtle references to the plight of the single woman seeking employment: she stands nervously pulling a loop of string with downcast eyes as the dealer disdainfully judges her work. She is also shown to be as much an object of scrutiny as her painting, as two men behind her compare her to the bare-legged ballet dancer in the print they examine… (read more)