Title: The Ransom

Artist: Everett Millais

John Everett Millais - The Ransom The Ransom 1860–62 John Everett Millais British, Southampton 1829–London 1896 Oil on canvas In this scene of a sixteenth-century knight being reunited with his kidnapped daughters, Millais indulges the Victorian taste for sentimental drama and historical fiction. Expressive looks and postures convey the narrative. A captor still holds the girls firmly by the wrists. One daughter's fingers grip her father's shoulder as he lays a comforting palm on her back. Offering additional payment, the knight stares intently at the lead captor, while a coconspirator's hand hovers above the jewels, heightening the suspense of the exchange.