Sir William Blake RichmondPortrait of Mrs Ernest Moon 1888

Emma Moon was a young Australian who married an English barrister. This portrait was commissioned to celebrate their marriage. She is shown here wearing a richly-decorated coat which she had embroidered herself.William Richmond was best known for his academic pictures but he was also a highly skilled portraitist. This picture is distinctly ‘aesthetic’: there are contrasting colours and textures in the opulent fabrics, and Emma Moon has a languid pose and expression.