‘Arethusa’ by Mme Yevonde

Lady Bridget Poulett as 'Arethusa'
by Madame Yevonde
Vivex colour print, 1935
14 3/4 in. x 10 3/4 in. (374 mm x 274 mm)
Given by Madame Yevonde (Yevonde Philone Middleton (née Cumbers)), 1971 — **Madame Yevonde ::** Lady Bridget Poulett as ‘Arethusa’. Vivex colour print, 1935 | NPG
Given by Madame Yevonde (Yevonde Philone Middleton (née Cumbers)), 1971

Madame Yevonde :: Lady Bridget Poulett as 'Arethusa'. Vivex colour print, 1935 | NPG — **Madame Yevonde ::** Lady Bridget Poulett as ‘Arethusa’. Vivex colour print, 1935 | National Portrait Gallery

Arethusa was a wood nymph from Elis, associated with the goddess Artemis. Pursued relentlessly by the river-god Alpheus, Arethusa begged for Artemis’s help in escaping his attentions. The goddess opened up a passage under the sea which enabled Arethusa to emerge as a spring in Syracuse, on the island of Ortygia (Sicily) – hence the seaweed in Yevonde’s sitter’s hair. (quoted from NPG)