Portrait Sketch of Chlo Boughton-Leigh

Ellen Theodosia Boughton-Leigh (1868-1947), known to her friends as Chlo, studied at the Slade School with her sister Maude (Grilda), and developed a lifelong friendship with Gwen John during several trips to Paris. Gwen sat for Grilda and Chlo sat for Gwen, resulting in a series of drawings and three oil portraits. The present work is a sketch for the portrait 'Chlo Boughton-Leigh (with her hair in a bun)' painted between 1910-14 and commissioned by the two sisters but sold to the collector and patron John Quinn. On his death the sisters bought the portrait from the auction of his collection in 1927. On Chlo's death it was bequeathed to her cousin who sold the work to Leeds City Art Gallery in 1955.
(see M. Taubman, Gwen John, London, 1985, p.117)