Portrait of John Everett Millais

William Holman Hunt executed this portrait of John Everett Millais in 1853, capturing one of his fellow founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The two artists had been close collaborators since forming the Brotherhood in 1848, along with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and four others.

Millais (1829-1896) was a child prodigy who entered the Royal Academy Schools at age eleven, the youngest student ever admitted. By 1853, when Hunt made this sketch-like portrait, Millais had already painted several of his most famous works, including Ophelia and Christ in the House of His Parents.

The Pre-Raphaelites often depicted one another during this period, creating a visual record of their artistic circle. Hunt and Millais shared a particular bond, traveling together and occasionally working in the same studio. The portrait hangs at Tate Modern in London, part of their collection documenting the Pre-Raphaelite movement.