The Artist
The Hon. John Maler Collier, OBE ROI RP (27 January 1850 – 11 April 1934) was a British painter and writer. He painted in the Pre-Raphaelite style, and was one of the most prominent portrait painters of his generation. Collier was the second son of the eminent lawyer and judge, Robert Porrett Collier, later the first Lord Monkswell. Both of his marriages were to daughters of Thomas Henry Huxley. He was educated at Eton College, and he studied painting in Paris with Jean-Paul Laurens and at the Munich Academy starting in 1875.
The Model
Mab Paul (1873-1931) was a British model and actress. Standing over six feet in height, her commanding presence inspired John Collier to feature her as the principal model for several of his most prominent paintings, including The Laboratory (1895), Lady Godiva (1898) and The Prodigal Daughter (1903). She additionally appeared as a dancer in musical comedy and pantomime, with credits on stages in both London’s West End and on Broadway in New York.