Antique Image of the Day: Florence Fisher, 1872

Florence Fisher
Photo by Julia Margaret Cameron
1872
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This delicate photograph, taken on the Isle of Wight, depicts Florence Fisher, the niece of the photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron. Cameron made six studies of her niece, one which she curiously titled “Study of St. John the Baptist.”

Cameron was a daring photographer and was not afraid to experiment with scale. Here, for example, the girl’s frontal gaze and the contrast of tones give us an intensely intimate look at the innocent child. Flowers were central to Cameron’s compositions. She often had female sitters hold lilies or roses, and some images depict the subject literally enveloped by foliage. In 1855, Cameron wrote to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “I always think that flowers tell as much of the bounty of God's love as the Firmament shows of His handiwork."

Photograph of the Day: The Dining Room (Francis Place) (II), 1997

Does this furniture polish have alcohol in it?  Hmm...tastes like I might die.

--Roger Smith

The Dining Room (Francis Place) (II)Sarah Jones, 1997
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Photographer Sarah Jones was born in London in 1959 and graduated from the MA Photography course at Goldsmiths College in 1996. Jones is celebrated as one of Britain’s leading contemporary artists and her work in carefully staged, large-scale color photographs has brought her considerable acclaim.   The photographs are almost life-size, accentuating the relationships between the subjects through their staging and proportions

Here we see an example of Jones’ work in this is engaging and elegant image of adolescent girls in a polished, posh setting reminiscent of Nineteenth Century portraiture.

The piece is called, “The Dining Room (Francis Place) (II),” and dates to 1997. 

Unusual Artifacts: A Stereograph, "A Family at Afternoon Tea," 1855-60

A Family at Afternoon Tea
Underwood and Underwood, N.Y.
1855-1860
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at stereographs from my own collection before, but here’s one from the V&A.

To refresh your memory,  a stereograph is a pair of photographic images of the same subject taken from slightly different angles. When viewed through a special “stereo viewer” or “stereoscope”, these images give the illusion of a single three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoscope designed to hold it.  They remained popular from the 1850s well into the Twentieth Century.

Occasionally, these images were colored by hand in watercolors, paints or inks to make them more life-like.   In this case, I’m glad the image was colored since it gives us an idea of look of a typical American, Victorian home.  Here, we see a group which has been posed in the act of taking tea from a silver tea set and china cups and saucers. Domestic scenes like this one--of a model family like or of the institutions of society such as school, church or marriage --were typical subjects of popular stereographs.

This stereograph was made between 1855 and 1860 by Underwood & Underwood of New York, USA.

Antique Image of the Day: Lionel Brough as Touchstone in "As You Like It," c. 1860

Lionel Brough as "Touchstone"
English, c. 1860
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This photograph of Nineteenth-Century, English Shakespearean actor Lionel Brough as shows the performer as “Touchstone” in “As You Like It,” and dates to about 1860. Produced during a time when photography was considered a novelty, this image is the sort which Victorian actors and actresses would have taken either in their street clothes or in costume. These albumen prints made from glass images were a popular entertainment, first as smaller cartes de visite (1854), and, then, as cabinet cards.

This carte de visite was part of the huge and important collection of Guy Tristram Little (d.1953), a lawyer and collector of ephemera, who bequeathed the lot to the V&A.

I just bet you can’t guess why I like it.

Antique Image of the Day: Elphinstone Agnes Maude, Barefoot, c. 1859-1861

Elphinstone Agnes Maude, Barefoot
Lady Hawarden, c. 1859
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I've seen Bertie make this same face.

Photographed between 1859 and 1861 by Clementina, Lady Hawarden (1822-1865), this image of a seemingly spontaneous moment of childish petulance took hours to set-up, pose and photograph in the wet collodion on glass negative process in use in the late 1850s.  

Lady Hawarden was described by her family as the "great baby lover," an affection evident in her many photographic portraits of children, most of them her own.  Clementina had a reputation as a devoted mother.  Lady Hawarden's uncle, Mountstuart Elphinstone, said of Clementina's brood that he "never saw nicer children or better brought up. It seems strange in Clemy who could never keep her own shawl in order & whose devotion to her children seemed enough to spoil a whole generation, but her good sense and regard to duty has kept all right."

This charming image in sepia, mounted on green card, was taken in South Kensington and shows that Clementina's children, especially Elphinstone Agnes Maude (pictured here), were more than happy to participate in their mother's photographic experiments.  

Photo of the Day: Looking back at Mr. Punch at 300

Mr. Punch at 300, 1962
PunchandJudy.com

This figure of Mr. Punch was made by Waldo S. Lanchester for the Covent Garden Celebration of Punch's 300th birthday in 1962.  Old Red Nose has held up well, I would say.  Fifty-two years later, he looks just as good.

The carved wooden head on this figure was previously that of “Casper” (Kasperle—Punch’s German cousin) from Hohnsteiner puppets of Max Jacob, Germany.

Antique Image of the Day: Clementina, Lady Hawarden, 1864

Clementina, Lady Hawarden and Companion
South Kensington Gardens, 1864
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Isn’t this an odd photo? It dates to 1864 and was taken at the Horticultural Gardens at South Kensington. In left profile, we have Clementina, Lady Hawarden she’s donned fancy dress as a jester or harlequin. Next to her is an unidentified young female companion. Who is this woman? Some believe her to be Marion Lloyd, a close friend and cousin, and the daughter of Lady Hawarden's sister Mary Keith (Keithy) Lloyd. The young lady is dressed in a peasant costume. 

The photo was taken in a photography booth at the gardens.  That's a lot of leg for 1864.

Painting of the Day: Kate E. Gough's Punch and Judy Booth, 1870

1870 photograph, hand-colored, of an antique painting
Kate E. Gough
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here, we see a photograph of an original painting. 

The photo dates to 1870 and has been hand-colored. Kate E. Gough photographed this antique painting of a Punch and Judy fit-up which was created sometime before 1870 by a now unknown artist.

Unfolding Pictures: Queen Alexandra’s Photographic Fan, 1871

Photographic Fan
Wooden sticks and guards, mother-of-pearl and silver pin
1871
Possibly decorated by Princess Alice.
The Royal Collection

This unusual fan was presented to Queen Alexandra (while still Princess of Wales) in 1871, on the event of her thirty-seventh birthday. Though the donor of the gift is unrecorded, many suggest that the fan was a gift from Princess Alice—Queen Victoria’s third child—as a hastily-made gift for her sister-in-law. 

Alexandra’s thirty-seventh birthday was not a happy one. Her husband, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was terribly ill with Typhoid fever and was not expected to live. The entire family gathered by his bedside and Alexandra’s birthday was all but forgotten. Later, when Edward recovered, the family decided to celebrate Alexandra’s birthday. Princess Alice, who was quite crafty and artistic, had, in her possession, a collection of plain brisé fans which had been imported from Austria for the purposes of being decorated later. The fans featured wooden sticks with mother-of-pearl details. Though its’ not certainty, it’s believed that Princess Alice decorated this fan herself with photographs from her own collection of images of Alexandra and Edward’s children

The fan features painted swags of garland which spell out the name, “Alexandra” and the guard is inscribed, “Many happy returns of the day, Dec. 1, 1871.” The painting and application of the photographs is rather sloppy. If Princess Alice did, in fact, assemble this piece, she clearly did so in a hurry as her work was usually crisp and unparalleled.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
All Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Antique Image of the Day: "Prince Arthur in Fancy Costume," 1870

Prince Arthur in Fancy Dress
William Notman, 1870
The Royal Collection

The son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Arthur grew to be a spirited lad and a young man who enjoyed a good party. When stationed in Canada, at the age of 20, Prince Arthur attended many a soiree, often in fancy dress.  For this particular occasion, he seems to have styled himself as King Charles I—a curious choice, indeed.  

However, doesn’t he look quite pleased with himself in this photo taken by William Notman in January of 1870?  One wonders what was going through his mind at that moment.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Antique Image of the Day: Mum's the Word, c. 1953

Mum's the Word
John Drysdale, 1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The photographer John Drysdale worked as an assistant to Cecil Beaton taking the official photos of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. During this project, Drysdale amused himself by taking candid photographs of children in the streets of London as the celebrations for the coronation began.

Here’s one of those images.  This black and white portrait photograph with a white border shows two girls talking on the street next to some steps leading to a front door. One of the girls is holding the handle to a stroller with a baby asleep inside.  Drysdale cleverly called the photo, Mum’s the Word,” and it’s a good representation of daily life in London at the time of the 1953 coronation.

Antique Image of the Day: The Complete Set of Nine Stones Produced from the Cullinan Diamond

The Complete Set of Nine Stones Produced from the Cullinan Diamond
1908
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This platinum print from October of 1908 shows “the complete set of nine stones produced from the Cullinan Diamond.” The print was acquired by the future King George V (1865-1936) in 1908 so that a record of the diamond’s cutting could be added to the future Queen Mary’s records.

The diamonds pictured here were cleft from the Cullinan Diamond. Cullininan I and II, the two largest, were set aside for King Edward VII. They were set in 1909 in an awkwardly large pendant brooch. In 1910, when George V ascended in place of his father, he asked that the Culinan I and II be set into the head of the Sovereign's Sceptre and on the band of the Imperial State Crown, respectively. The diamonds, however, remained detachable and could be worn either together or independently as brooches. Queen Mary liked to do that every so often.

The remaining diamonds cut from the Cullinan were retained by Asscher (the cutter for whom the famed diamond cut is named), with the exception of the Cullinan Vi which had also been given to King Edward VII. Asscher kept these stones and the smaller collection of ninety-six smaller stones and fragments as a fee for cutting the original massive diamond.

However, did you really think Queen Mary would NOT get her hands on them? The whole lot was acquired by the South African government who gifted all of them to Queen Mary in 1910 in preparation for the 1911 Coronation. Stones III and IV were set into a pear-shaped drop of 94.4 carats. A square-cut stone of 63.6 carats was set in the Queen’s new coronation crown in 1911. These two stones now form the Cullinan Brooch. Another of the larger diamonds was adapted into a pendant for Queen Victoria’s cullet necklace, worn with the Lahore Diamond. Queen Mary managed to find uses for the whole lot, and, in doing so, made sure that the pieces of the original stone have stayed together forever. 

Antique Image of the Day: Punch and Judy at Ilfracombe, Paul Martin, 1895

Punch and Judy at Ilfracombe, 1895
The Victoria and Albert Museum

I love these images of true Victorian Punch and Judy Shows. This photograph was taken at the beach at Ilfracombe (North Devon) in 1895 by Paul Martin.

Such images became popular around 1890 when it became possible to combine the gelatin dry-plate negative, which was fast and highly sensitive, with as the V&A puts it, an “inconspicuous device known as a 'detective' camera.” The detective camera allowed for a new type of candid snapshot since the camera was disguised as a leather box. A whole new kind of photography emerged—one that was not posed and staged as were the studio shots known to most people.

Paul Martin--a wood engraver by training—took hundreds of photographs on London streets and while on holiday at the seaside. Martin's work shows that at the dawn of the Twentieth Century, photography was no longer just the stuff of aristocratic amateurs and professional studios. Martin championed the idea that any person could record their own life and surroundings. Martin holds a special place in art history since he was one of the last wood engravers and one of the first photojournalists.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Vida, 1911

Vida
Robert Falcon Scott's Dog
1911
Presented to George V, 1914
The Royal Collection

A rather controversial figure of the time, Robert Falcon Scott, was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who lead two expeditions into the Antarctic. On these journeys, he and his crew used dogs to pull their sleds. Though, by all accounts, Scott wasn’t quite sure how to care for a dog in these conditions, he did seem to have genuine affection for them. One in particular was a favorite of Scott’s—a dog named Vida. Vida, it seems, had a bad coat and was very distrustful of people, but he soon grew to become attached to Scott.


Scott wrote in his journal of Vida, “He is a strange beast - I imagine so unused to kindness that it took him time to appreciate it.” In 1911, Scott had Vida photographed, looking very sweet.

During one of his polar expeditions in 1912, Scott and his companions died from exposure to the cold. They were discovered eight months later. In 1914, this photograph of Vida was presented to King George V in remembrance of Scott and his brave team.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Via The Royal Collection Trust
Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Alexandra's Christmas Gift Book, 1908

Queen Alexandra's Christmas Gift Album
"Pleasant Recollections."
Britain, 1908
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

A page from the album.
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II

In 1908, shutterbug Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII (1844-1925) amused herself—while her husband was doubtlessly amusing himself in other, yuckier ways—by producing an album of her photographs which she intended to be published to raise funds for her favorite charities. 

Though known as “Queen Alexandra’s Christmas Gift Book,” the album was actually titled “Pleasant Recollections.” The leather, gilt-tooled book with relief duo-tone photographs was enclosed in a deep red jacket of suede and velvet. Queen Alexandra personally chose the photos of her family and friends which were to be included in the book from her huge collection of personal photos, most of which she had taken herself.

We see here the Queen’s own personal copy of her book. Ninety of the 137 photos were printed in photogravure (a very detailed intaglio print from a copper plate) and forty-six of them were mounted by hand on the dark green pages, so that those who purchased the photograph book would feel that they had, in fact, the Queen’s personal album.

The book, sold at 2s 6d (12 ½ p) a copy and it was published simultaneously in England and America on November 12, 1908. Huge orders were also rushed to Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France. The album proved incredible successful, and, much to the Queen’s pleasure and satisfaction, raised vast amount for over thirty charities of Her Majesty’s choosing.

The Interior Cover
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Antique Image of the Day: Princess Alice of Albany, 1884

Princess Alice of Albany
Byrne & Co., 1884
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, Princess Alice married Prince Alexander of Teck (brother of Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, the wife of King George V) in 1904. Prince Alexander would become Earl of Althone thereby making his wife Princess Alice, Countess of Althone—a title which she maintained until her death in 1981.

Here, we see Princess Alice as a young girl of three in this photograph taken in December of 1884 by Byrne & Co. of Hill Street, Richmond. The photograph was presented as a gift to Queen Victoria who had a special fondness for the girl. The little princess poses wearing a coat, and holding a doll in her right hand.

Until her death, she was the only remaining grandchild of Queen Victoria, having lived through six reigns: Victoria (her grandmother), Edward VII (her uncle), George V (her cousin and brother-in-law), Edward VIII (her nephew), George VI (her nephew) and Elizabeth II (her grand-niece).

Antique Image of the Day: George Speaight in Performance, 1951

Hello, all...sorry, but there won't be a "Punch's Puzzles" today because I've got a busy schedule.  But, not to worry, we'll be back with the usual riddle nonsense next week.

In the meantime...let's have a look at one of Mr. Punch's staunchest supporters.

So, for a few years now, we’ve looked at images from the George Speaight Punch & Judy Archive at the V&A. But, who was this Mr. Speaight and why did he have so much Punch-related stuff?

George Victor Speaight (1914-2005) was a theatre historian and the foremost expert on toy theater and the history of puppetry in Britain, if not in the world. In the 1930s, George (brother of the Shakespearean actor Robert Speaight) began performing his own puppet shows on Oxford Street.

His first book, Juvenile Drama: The History of the English Toy Theatre came out in December of 1946. Following this, he became manager of Pollock's Toy Theatres. He pursued theatrical endeavors throughout the following years. In 1955, he released his next book, “History of the English Puppet Theatre” and, thus, began a long career in reference publishing.

For nearly sixty years he was married to Mary Mudd, an engraver of wood. He died a year after she did. They had one son and one daughter. Upon his death, Speaight left his tremendous collection of puppet-related materials to the V&A. Most of the collection relates to the history of Punch & Judy. The V&A has spent years cataloging this massive and important collection, and, just now, we’re seeing these items for the first time since they were collected by Mr. Speaight.

From his collection, here, we see a photograph of George Speaight posing with a puppet surrounded by an audience. The photo dates to about 1951.

George Speaight (center), 1951
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Antique Image of the Day: A Photo of Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
England, 1890
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This photograph by an unknown person dates to about 1890 and shows Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck (1833-1897).

The mother of the future Queen Mary has been posed, facing three-quarters, with a lace shawl draped over her head. Princess Mary Adelaide wears a pearl earring and a sumptuous diamond necklace comprised of crescent shapes.

The photo once belonged to Queen Mary, and now, is part of the personal collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

Antique Image of the Day: Alexandra, Princess of Wales and Her Sister, 1873

Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales with
Tsarevna Marie Feodorovna of Russia
James Russell & Sons, 1873
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Photographed in 1873 by James Russell & Sons, this image shows Alexandra, Princess of Wales (1844-1925, later Queen Alexandra, Consort of King Edward VII) with her sister Tsarevna Marie Feodorovna of Russia (1847-1928). Both girls were born princesses of Denmark and made very smart marriages to other Royal families.

The photo, presented to Queen Alexandra, was placed in a gilt metal frame in the form of a horseshoe. The nail heads are coated in blue enamel.

This photo is one of the earliest records of this frame and image in the Royal Collection
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Antique Image of the Day: Madame Albani Gye, 1883

Madame Albani Gye
Presented to Queen Victoria, 1883
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Sometimes the audience would fill the great room at the Palace, stretching out behind the two rows of Royalties, glittering and splendid in jewels and uniforms, and the Queen’s private band would be swollen out of all recognition by Costa’s additions from the various orchestras he conducted and a large chorus from the Opera. 

--Averil Mackenzie Grieve, Clara Novello, 1818-1908

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were fervent fans of the opera and often had command performances by the favorite singers (as described above) at Buckingham Palace. Among the favorites of the Royal couple was a Canadian singer known professionally as Emma Albani. Dame Emma Albani Gye was a Canadian-born soprano who made her debut in 1870. She was a frequent guest of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Dame Albani presented the Queen with this photograph of herself in 1883.