Portrait of Wilkie Collins by John Everett Millais

British artist John Everett Millais painted this portrait of novelist Wilkie Collins in the early 1850s. Collins appears with his tremendous forehead, wearing spectacles, his raised hands joined palm to palm with very flexible fingers. The two were connected through Collins's brother Charles, who was one of Millais's closest friends.

At the time, Collins was about to begin the "novels of sensation" that would make his name. This series of mystery and suspense tales eventually included "The Woman in White" (1860) and "The Moonstone" (1868), often considered the first detective novel. Millais was a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The portrait is now at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The portrait is at the National Portrait Gallery in London (NPG 967). Millais later worried about discoloration from "nasty brown varnish."

Collins was a Victorian novelist who wrote "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone," often called the first detective novel. He was friends with the Pre-Raphaelites.

Collins's brother Charles was Millais's closest friend. Millais was a frequent visitor at the Collins family home at 17 Hanover Terrace, London.

The portrait is at the National Portrait Gallery in London (NPG 967). Millais later worried about discoloration from "nasty brown varnish."

Collins was a Victorian novelist who wrote "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone," often called the first detective novel. He was friends with the Pre-Raphaelites.

Collins's brother Charles was Millais's closest friend. Millais was a frequent visitor at the Collins family home at 17 Hanover Terrace, London.

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