Fanny as a Symbol
Fanny is a symbol of the "old guard" of society who believe that a woman's place is in the home. Fanny is an absolute anachronism. Her ideas and beliefs are old-fashioned and not at all in line with the views of her sisters. She is symbolic of the way in which some of society feel and of why it is still so difficult for women like her sisters to forge a path of independence forward.
Art Motif
Art is a motif throughout the novel. It appears in the form of art itself, of the photographic representation of art, and also in the person of artists. Frank Jermyn is a successful artist who takes a liking to the sisters, particularly Lucy, whom he ends up marrying. He is also an artist for a commercial newspaper. Darnell is also an artist. The concept of photography as art is also becoming part of the art community's consciousness and the sisters are getting as much work photographing pieces of art as they are photographing anything else. The social circle that the sisters are given access to is also based around the art calendar of openings and gallery showings.
Phyllis Posing for Darnell Symbol
It was deeply inappropriate and thoroughly frowned upon for a woman to visit a man unaccompanied. It was even worse to pose for a man. Phyllis' posing as a model for Darnell's portrait of Cressida is a symbol of her "loose morals" to certain members of society, particularly the high society that she has begun to associate with.
Gertrude and Lucy Lorimer Symbol
Gertrude, Lucy, and even Phyllis, are symbols of the New Women feminists of the age They are feisty, independent and need nobody to guide them or make decisions for them. They are businesswomen, which was not an easy road for women to take at the time. It was still seen as not the role of a woman, and their fight to gain success and independence is symbolic of the wider struggle that faced women.
Women's Role Motif
The ongoing motif in the book is the changing role of women. The sisters' role changes because their father passes away and they are forced to go into the workplace by necessity, but they seem like the kind of women who would have done so anyway whatever their circumstances. The role of women in the late eighteen hundreds was still one of non-independence; they were still governed by men in their own homes and many believed they belonged there. This was gradually changing thanks to women like the Lorimer girls, and also thanks to men like Frank Jermyn and Lord Watergate who supported their endeavors. It is possible to see how the winds of change were blowing by the end of the book when Lucy is a married woman, and a parent, and still remains active in the photography business.
