Unknown woman, formerly known as Florence Nightingale

This small panel portrait was long believed to depict Florence Nightingale, the reforming nurse whose fame after the Crimean War (1853–56) made her the most celebrated Englishwoman of her generation. The reattribution of the sitter to 'unknown woman' reflects the rigorous photographic and documentary research that the National Portrait Gallery has applied to its Victorian holdings over recent decades. Egg was a member of the same metropolitan artistic circles that Nightingale's supporters inhabited, and the commission, whoever the sitter actually was, reflects the bourgeois portrait practice that sustained many Victorian painters between their more ambitious narrative canvases. The panel format suggests an intimate, private commission rather than an official or commemorative portrait.

Oil on panel, a support that favours the delicate, miniaturist finish Egg achieved in intimate commissions. Panel's low absorbency allows precise detailing of dress fabric, jewellery, and the subtle modelling of a face in three-quarter view.