Phyllis

Phyllis was a figure from Greek mythology who appeared in Ovid's Heroides: a Thracian princess who loved Demophoon and was abandoned by him, dying of grief and being transformed into an almond tree. Waterhouse treated the myth most dramatically in his 1905 Phyllis and Demophoon, but this undated canvas focusing on the figure of Phyllis alone may represent an earlier study or a variant exploring the heroine before or independent of the reunion moment. The choice of Phyllis as a solitary subject allowed Waterhouse to present a figure defined by longing, fidelity, and loss — themes that connect to his broader interest in women waiting, watching, or suffering within classical mythological frameworks. The almond tree as Phyllis's transformed body links the work to the botanical imagery that recurs throughout his career.

A painting of Phyllis alone, without Demophoon or the reunion scene, would likely show her in a natural setting associated with the almond tree or the seashore where she watched for his returning ship. The treatment would emphasise emotional interiority through posture and expression rather than dramatic action.