Alice Meynell (née Thompson)
- Artist: Sherril Schell
- Date: circa 1911-1913
- Medium: platinum print
- Dimensions: 8 5/8 in. x 7 1/8 in. (219 mm x 181 mm)
- Portrays: Alice Meynell (née Thompson)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is a portrait of Alice Meynell (née Thompson). She sits in profile against a dark backdrop, her face softly illuminated by the subtle light that the photographer used. Notice the gentle hat draped over her head—its brim resting just below her shoulders, framing her hair. Her expression is calm yet alert; you can see a faint smile at the corners of her mouth. The print’s surface is smooth, the tones rendered with the fine detail that a platinum process provides.
The image shows a small, almost miniature canvas—just over eight and a half inches long by seven in. high—so the photographer had to capture every minute line of hair and fabric. Schell was working with this technique because it yielded deep tonal ranges without harsh highlights, allowing Meynell’s likeness to breathe.
Meynell was a poet, essayist and journalist who championed women’s suffrage and founded several journals with her husband. Her portrait captures that same quiet confidence in the early twentieth‑century London scene.
See it in person
Alice Meynell (née Thompson) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
