ILLUSIONS.

Photos: Jonathan Russell (taken while on public display, Manchester Art Gallery).

  • Title(s): Illusions (title on plaque on frame / Manchester Art Gallery).
  • Description: “Symbolic painting featuring a winged figure of a young girl with blonde hair, dressed in a suit of armour and chain mail. Her left hand is raised towards her chest as she gathers a red cloak over her arm. Her right hand reaches out towards the viewer. Behind her is a background of dense trees with dappled sunlight falling on the girl from the left. One of the girl’s wings is visible curving over her left shoulder” (Manchester Art Gallery; note: artuk.org has “A bird sits on the girl’s right shoulder”, but there is no ‘bird’, angel-like wings belonging to the subject are a motif used by Annie in several paintings).
  • Media: oil on canvas (Manchester Art Gallery).
  • Dimensions: canvas “68 cm (height); 51 cm (width)”, frame “9.5 cm (depth); 89.5 cm (height); 74 cm (width)” (Manchester Art Gallery).
  • Signature/date/other text: none on exposed canvas; plaque attached at base: “ILLUSIONS / B.1845 ANNIE L SWYNNERTON, ARA. D. 1933 / BEQUEATHED BY MRS. LOUISA MARY GARRETT TO / THE CORPORATION OF MANCHESTER 1936”.
  • History:
    • Date? – undated.
    • 2018 Apr – Exhibited Manchester Art Gallery, “The Edwardians” (Manchester Art Gallery).
    • 2018 Nov – Exhibited Manchest Art Gallery, “Whose Power On Display?” (Manchester Art Gallery).
    • 2018 Feb 23 -2019 Jan 6 – Exhibited Manchester Art Gallery, “Painting Light and Hope” (Manchester Art Gallery).
  • Location: Manchester Art Gallery.

Page last updated 6 Oct 2025.