Miss Havisham is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations. The character also inspired the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, directed and co-written by Billy Wilder.
I first read Great Expectations when I was fourteen and watched the movie at around the same time. Miss Havisham is a bride who remains in her wedding dress after being abandoned by her groom on her wedding day. She spends her life in a darkened house, her wedding cake left as it was on the table, and with her front door, permanently ajar in case her love returns.
In contrast to the many portraits that present Miss Havisham as a wizen, bitter old woman, the artwork here shows her as a vibrant, proud and magical figure.
Mike de Sousa
Figurative Art
2013
Free to enjoy at Public Art World. May not be used for commercial gain. Copyright maintained.