Sir Herbert James Gunn

Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, 1913 - 1993 (wife of the 11th Duke of Argyll)

About this artwork

This small oil sketch is a study for a much larger, full-length portrait of the Duchess of Argyll. A socialite of the early twentieth century, the Duchess was constantly in the news. She is most remembered for her much publicised divorce case with the Duke of Argyll in 1963, where she denied forgery and multiple counts of adultery. The full-length portrait (in a private collection) shows the Duchess in a vibrant and elaborate yellow gown and a set of pearls, with a black poodle at her heel. She is noted as saying “Always a poodle, only a poodle! That, and three strands of pearls… Together they are the absolutely essential things in life.”

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
  • title:
    Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, 1913 - 1993 (wife of the 11th Duke of Argyll)
  • date created:
    About 1953
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    44.50 x 35.40 cm; Framed: 53.00 x 42.50 x 2.20 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased 1998
  • accession number:
    PG 3120
  • gallery:
  • depicted:
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Sir Herbert James Gunn

Sir Herbert James Gunn