The Ornithologist, 1885 (oil on canvas)

In a room an elderly bearded man reclines on a sofa. He holds a stuffed red bird while at his side two children gaze eagerly at the bird, while a young woman leans over him. At the head of the sofa are a boy and girl and seated at the foot a young girl. To the right are drawers containing specimens of birds and others lie on the covering of the sofa. To the left is a table with a glass globe and an owl. This painting, also known as The Ruling Passion, shows the natural historian and illustrator John Gould, 1804-1881, showing some of his collection of bird skins to a group of spell-bound children. He was an invalid when the artist Millais visited him, so he had his friend, the artist T O Barlow, sit for the picture. The two youngest children are William and George, Millais’ grandsons.