Lot Essay
Sukey the pug puppy appears in the portrait Kittie (Miss Ellen Ellis) executed by Sandys in 1873, which is now held in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
In this work the sitter cradles the pug in her left arm and holds a fan in her right hand. 'Kittie' was the nickname of Miss Ellen Ellis, the step-daughter of Thomas Chappell of the famous London firm of music publishers and piano manufacturers. Chappell commissioned several portraits of his family from Sandys.
The identification of the present work is confirmed by Betty Elzea who has included the drawing in her "Missing and Found Works" by Sandys. It is described as "a charming drawing" made in 1875, two years after the finished work.
In this work the sitter cradles the pug in her left arm and holds a fan in her right hand. 'Kittie' was the nickname of Miss Ellen Ellis, the step-daughter of Thomas Chappell of the famous London firm of music publishers and piano manufacturers. Chappell commissioned several portraits of his family from Sandys.
The identification of the present work is confirmed by Betty Elzea who has included the drawing in her "Missing and Found Works" by Sandys. It is described as "a charming drawing" made in 1875, two years after the finished work.