The little girl is the artist's five-year-old daughter Effie and this was the first time that he used any of his children as models. She is sitting in one of the old high-backed pews in All Saints Church, Kingston-on-Thames,
which Millais hurried to paint in December 1862 shortly before they were removed. This painting was extremely popular when it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy, causing queues around the block. It was praised
as a charming depiction of childhood innocence and piety.
