Painting of Marianne Nicholson

A painting is of Marianne Nicholson at Waverley Abbey in Farnham, Surrey, the home of the Nicholson family. We don’t know why the painting is titled ‘Suspense’, but it may have had something to do with the marriage proposal of Captain Douglas Galton. The two eventually married in August 1851. They spent their wedding night at Embly Park, the home of the Nightingales, before embarking on their honeymoon to Europe.

Hilary Bonham Carter, the artist, wanted to paint for a living, but at the time, like Florence Nightingale, she was frustrated in her aims because being professional artist wasn’t seen as a suitable occupation for a woman.