They’re not angels. They’re English. Prince Albert was a great admirer of the work of photographer O.G. Rejlander and collected many of his photographs. This image from the Royal Collection comes from an album of photographs produced especially for Prince Albert. Rejlander’s inspiration for this photo was, obviously, the two famous putti from Raphael’s
Sistine Madonna. The title refers both to the fact that these are not Raphael’s celebrated cherubs, but rather, ordinary English children and also alludes to a tale told of St. Gregory. As the story goes, St. Gregory spotted English children in a Roman slave market. 'He... asked, what was the name of that nation? and was answered, that they were called Angles. Right, said he, for they have an angelic face, and it becomes such to be coheirs with the angels in heaven.' That apocryphal tale was a favorite whimsical yarn of the Prince’s.
This image represents a time when photography was still a new technology which, naturally, was drawing its inspiration from more traditional art forms. While vastly different in technology, it’s a similar notion that encouraged e-book designers to make the pages appear to “turn” on the screen as if you were flipping through a real book. New things fascinate us, but, in our hearts, we long for the comfort of the familiar and traditional.
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