The Good Resolve

This painting shows a young woman with her hand resting on a page of the Psalms. She is practicing an old Scottish tradition in which she opens the Bible and chooses a passage at random, and then resolves to act upon the text selected. In 1853 Millais visited John Ruskin in Scotland. He fell in love with Ruskin’s wife Euphemia, also known as Effie. They were married in 1855 and spent much of their time in Scotland. Millais subsequently became absorbed by the history and traditions of the country.