Begun in October 1879. A watercolour by T M Rooke of Georgiana's head suggests that the painting was laid in by Burne-Jones's assistant. The disposition and awkwardness of the heads betrays the work and assistant working from drawings. The painting remained unfinished and in comparison to the 1883 portrait of Georgiana which is much stronger, this objective view of his family and his alienated wife did not serve its purpose, which appears to contain some sort of conciliation. If this is so, the later portrait deals with the subject more constructively and does justice to the intelligent and long suffering Georgiana. In this portrait, compositionally speaking Georgiana is in a subsidiary role and the children dominate compared to the portrait of 1883 where she is central and the children are relegated to the background.