Antique Image of the Day: Girl with a Fan, 1864

Girl with a Fan, 1864
William Dobson
Watercolor and gouache.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Influenced by the tastes and styles of their Queen, the Victorian public preferred idealized portraits of young girls.  Such depictions arose beginning with Queen Victoria's reign as the fresh-faced young woman took the throne.  Since the queen was an attractive young lady, similarly innocent faces became the subject of oil paintings, watercolors and prints of all kinds.

This painting by William Charles Thomas Dobson (RA, RWS, 1817-1898) is rendered in watercolor and gouache.  It  was described in the words of a contemporary as having “a roundness and sweetness which is never sensual.”

William Dobson began his career as a prolific painter of religious themes.  His greatest hope was to revive popular interest religious art.  Nevertheless, the audience was limited and Dobson went on to paint less ponderous subjects like this attractive picture.  Dobson often peppered his works with a stylized orientalism which successfully increased their public appeal.  From 1842 until 1894 he exhibited many paintings in this style at the Royal Academy.

Here, we see Dobson’s rather inaccurate depiction of an Asian girl in a turban and a striped silk brocade robe.  It was painted in 1864, not from life, but in his studio, using props which Dobson thought would seem authentically Asian.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Tombeau de Lipsius. Pyramide. Chefren. 1880-1890

Click on image to enlarge
"Tombeau de Lipsius"
Pierre Henri Theodore Tetar van Elven
1880-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted in Egypt between 1880 and 1890 by the monumentally-named Pierre Henri Theodore Tetar van Elven (1828-1908), this work of watercolor over pencil is accented with white oil paint.

Titled, “Tombeau de Lipsius,” the image actually depicts a scene from Giza of the Pyramid of Khufu. Such a painting would have satisfied the growing desire for exotic images of Egypt which developed from late Nineteenth Century archaeological finds.

Mastery of Design: A Snuffbox Commemorating the 1911 Coronation

Snuffbox
1911
Garrard & Co.
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

From the archives of The Royal Collection, we have this important snuffbox of gold, enamel and diamonds by Sebastian Henry Garrard (of Garrard's, as one would guess).  The snuffbox, boasting watercolor on ivory portraits of King George V and Queen Mary, was made in 1911 expressly for the coronation.  

But, it gets better.  The piece was later engraved, on the inside of the gold lid, per Queen Mary's instructions and presented by Her majesty upon the day of the coronation of her son, "Bertie," (better known to us as King George VI) in 1937.  Following the whole "Abdication Kerfuffle" (TM), I'm sure Mary was relieved to have Bertie on the throne and happily presented this handsome present to her Number 2 son.  The 1937 engraving reads:

To 

King George VI. 

in remembrance of his Coronation, 

from his devoted Mother, 

Mary R. 

May 12th 1937.

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

The hinged, oval, gold and enamel box features a lid inset with glazed oval miniatures of Their Majesties, framed with rose cut diamonds, surmounted by a diamond and enamel crown, and with a diamond-set monogram below.  Queen Mary is depicted in a white gown with Garter, and her favorite pearls.  George V is shown, facing slight left in his uniform, Garter and assorted medals and orders.

Each side of the box is dazzling as the sides are alive with blue enamel with borders of white and green foliage and flower-heads.  The reverse, or underside, shows masterful engine turning applied with a silver and enamel Garter star. 

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

Drawing of the Day: A Costume Design for Judy, 1861-1934

The Victoria & Albert Museum

What might Judy (Mr. Punch’s lovely bride) look like were she a human lady? Well, here’s your answer. She’s stunning, yes?

Here, from the beautiful George Speaight Punch and Judy Archive at the V&A, we see a costume design for an actor playing Judy. Why? No one knows anymore. The only explanation for this drawing of pencil and watercolor on card is an inscription stating that it was designed by Clarkson Costumes ca. 1861 to 1934. Hmmm… That’s rather a large time range there.


We see that Judy is carrying a stick in her left hand (as one does when married to Mr. Punch) and dragging a doll with her right hand. I would like to interject that the “doll” is actually meant to represent the famed, embattled baby in whatever human version of the Comical Tragedy (or Tragical Comedy) of Mr. Punch for which this costume was designed. It’s all very mysterious. But, that’s the way to do it. 

Royal Pets: The Companions of Frederica, Duchess of York, 1820

Frederica, Duchess of York
With a Dog and a Monkey
1820, Unknown Painter after Hüet-Villiers
Miniature: Watercolor on Ivory
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The second daughter of Frederick William II of Prussia, Frederica, the Princess Royal of Prussia, married the second son of King George III, Frederick, Duke of York. Their marriage was beset by scandal—particularly one involving the Duke’s mistress which caused him to have to resign his posh military post.


Owing in large part to the fact that her marriage was strained, Frederica preferred to be by herself and spent most of her life in seclusion in their country house in Surrey. Though not a fan of people, Frederica did enjoy the company of her animals and surrounded herself with many dogs, and, as one does, a monkey.

This gorgeous portrait of the Duchess of York is a miniature on ivory styled after a larger painting by Jean-François-Marie Hüet-Villiers. We see the Duchess looking rather dour, but lovely, contentedly sitting with a canine and a simian friend.

This miniature came into the Royal Collection in 1910.

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

Click on Image to Enlarge

Gifts of Grandeur: The Gustavus III of Sweden Box, 1751

The Gustavus III Box
Swedish, 1751
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at a lot of pretty boxes over the past few years and a half. Here’s one more. This enameled gold box is set with a miniature in watercolor on ivory under glass of Gustavus III of Sweden (1746-1792), surrounded by moonstones.

On the base, a miniature of a double-hulled paddle-wheeled ship has been mounted. On the front, a view of a harbor with warships is displayed. The harbor has been identified as the Swedish naval port of Karlskrona. The hinge side of the box features a scene of a fortification which has been identified as Sveaborg, the Swedish fort which is now part of Helsinki. The box’s ends are also mounted with watercolors on ivory of a Swedish gun barge on one side, and, on the other, a Swedish frigate.

King Gustavus III of Sweden presented this box to Patrick Miller of Dalswinton (1731-1815)—a British banker, inventor and patron of the poet Robert Burns, no earlier than 1791. That’s the date the box was made. King Gustavus III died in 1792 after enduring an infected wound following an assassination attempt at a masked ball. How very Pine Valley-ish.

The box was given to Miller after he offered his double-hulled ship with a paddle wheel to the King. This ship is depicted on the base. The ship--the paddle turned by manpower-- became known in Sweden as “the British sea monster.”

Painting of the Day: A Portrait by Frederick Cruickshank

Portrait of a Lady Seated in an Armchair
Frederick Cruickshank
England, 1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Frederick Cruickshank (1800-1868) was an English painter who is often confused with the other notable Cruikshanks (George, Isaac and Isaac Robert), however, there’s no obvious relationship and the names are spelled differently.

While the “K with no C” Cruikshanks are best known for their sociopolitical, satirical and theatrical drawings, Cruickshank (with an extra C) was known for his portraiture. This portrait of an anonymous subject is an excellent example of Frederick Cruickshank’s work. Here, we see a rather morose woman in a room adorned with musical accoutrement. The sitter’s identity has never been deduced, but there are some curious clues in the composition which hint to her situation. There’s an abandoned pair of men’s gloves on the floor—perhaps a suggestion that she has been cast aside by a husband or lover. Furthermore, a prominent bust on a pedestal resembles any of a series of busts made by Sir Francis Chantrey of engineer and steam engine innovator, James Watt. Does this mean that this woman is a member of the Watt family? Is she a relative from the Campbell family?

We will never know who she is. We know only that she is surrounded by beautiful things arranged in an intentionally peculiar way. An expensive guitar and piano indicate wealth, while the cut flowers on the mantel are arranged in an ice-bucket—a signature of an individual style.

And, that’s the beauty of this Cruickshank’s work. He was known to be able to say quite a lot about his sitters without identifying them by name and by only including unique attributes.

This work of watercolor and body color was painted in 183o and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1831 and Cruickshank was careful not to reveal the identity of the sitter by calling the picture simply, “Portrait of a Lady Seated in an Armchair.” 

Unfolding Pictures: The Emily Beauclerk Fan, 18th C.

Click image to enlarge.
Hand Fan
French or British, Eighteenth Century
Watercolor on paper leaf with ivory sticks and guards.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, a variety of hand fans were imported from the East into Europe. China exported a vast array of fans into England and Europe and, soon, the Chiense style became quite fashionable for hand fans. European artists strove to emulate these Chinese fans in order to keep local business going. This fan, made in the Eighteenth Century, probably comes from either Britain or France and is a clever take on the Chinese style which was growing in popularity at the time.

With expertly carved and pierced ivory sticks, the fan sports a paper leaf which has been hand-painted with a watercolor Chinoiserie landscape. However, instead of depicting the usual Chinese figures in Eastern dress, the men and women in the scene are show in fashionable European dress. Their faces, nevertheless, are meant to look Asian. One of the figures, a woman, is shown holding a paper fan with a floral pattern in pink which nearly replicates the flowers which have been painted on the reverse of the leaf. 

The fan was donated to the V&A by one Emily Beauclerk, its last owner.

Mastery of Design: Brooch with a Miniature of a Child, 1894

Brooch with a hand-colored photograph
English, 1894
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

From the Nineteenth Century British School, this brooch of gold, diamonds, enamel and hair is set with a watercolor-ed photograph miniature of a child. The piece is engraved May 3rd 1894, but was first recorded in the inventory of the Royal Collection during the present reign.

This hand-colored photograph of a young child is set into a heart-shaped frame of gold and red guilloché enamel. An applied gold and diamond foliate wreath is inset with a lock of hair on the glazed reverse.

Drawing of the Day: Simeon Solomon's "In the Temple of Venus," 1865

In the Temple of Venus
Simeon Solomon, c. 1865
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A head-and-shoulders portrait, this watercolor of a woman with ginger hair in a green gown immediately puts one in mind of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, however, the background of the piece with its loosely-drawn statuette and classical columns, is a far cry from the almost-photographic detail inherent in the work of Pre-Raphaelite artists.

This is the work of Simeon Solomon (1840-1905).  Solomon had long bemoaned that he never had been given a classical education and had no understanding of Latin and Greek.  He formed close friendships with the poet Algernon Swinburne, the Eton schoolmaster Oscar Browning, and the Oxford don Walter Pater, the great critic of the Italian Renaissance--thereby giving himself a chance to become deeply familiar with classical subjects.  

Simeon titled this piece, "In the Temple of Venus."  It's part of a series he painted during the middle part if the 1860s which subtly focussed on gay and lesbian themes, a study for which there was no name at the time.  

Print of the Day: Theatrical Leap Frog, 1804

Theatrical Leap Frog
Print, hand-colored, 1804
The Victoria  & Albert Museum

This hand-colored engraving entitled "Theatrical Leap Frog" is a caricature of the child actor Master Betty leaping over John Philip Kemble--a famed English actor of the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries.  It was published in London by Rudolph Ackerman (1765-1834).

It represents the growing popularity of novelty acts as they surpassed legitimate drama in fashion.  The original was drawn by Thomas Rowlandson.

After a Fashion: A Silk Pocketbook with Painted Panels, 1750

Pocketbook
French, 1750
This and all related images courtesy of
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I just love this rare, French pocketbook which was made circa 1750. The sumptuously decorated pocket and letter case was made of red, weave-ribbed silk, flat-quilted overall, and embroidered in a chain stitch with colored silks and silver-gilt thread. 

The oval panel of this pocketbook is painted in watercolors, and features similar panels inside. The images, it is suggested by the V&A, likely refer to a Royal marriage.

The outer cover of the pocket book is adorned on one side with an oval panel of cream silk which has been painted in watercolors, depicting two shields. One shield bears a dolphin, while the other depicts a crowned eagle; behind is an altar, and to the left a cupid. 

On the other side, a bouquet of flowers is embroidered with an outer border of trailing flowers and leaves.

The inside boasts one pocket with a similar painted panel. However, on the interior scene, the cupid is replaced by lilies and palm fronds. This pocket has red silk gussets allowing it to fall half open. The other pocket does not have gussets, but has an internal divider. 

The inside is lined with cream silk twill. The book closes with a gilt metal lock with tooled and pierced decoration, backed with green foil. A steel key with it is probably not original.

Painting of the Day: Two Turks, with a Servant, 1828-1840

Two Turks, with a Servant, Smoking on a Terrace Overlooking a Lake or Sea in Turkey or Greece
William Page
British, 1828-1840
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This graceful painting has been saddled with a very cumbersome title, “Two Turks, with a Servant, Smoking on a Terrace Overlooking a Lake or Sea in Turkey or Greece.”  It is the work of William Page (1794-1872). This William Page is a British painter, not to be confused with the American artist of the same name who lived roughly during the same period.  Page demonstrates his delicate skill with watercolors in this work on rough paper.  Highlights and details are accentuated in pencils.

Painted between 1828-1840, the work is inscribed on the back, probably partly erroneously, “Turks. Village of Scutari.”  Later notes by the artist suggest that the scene may be in or near Ioannina.

Page’s style went through two distinct stages.  This painting represents Page's later, more picturesque, style.  Previously, during the 1810s and early/mid 1820s, Page focused mainly on costume studies.  During the late 1820s and  early 1830s, he mainly depicted graceful landscapes.  Here, he appears to have combined the two.

Drawing of the Day: The Yellow-Breasted Chat and the Turk's Cap Lily, c. 1765

The Yellow-Breasted Chat and The Turk's Cap Lily, c. 1765
Mark Catesby
Purchased by King George III
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

From the Royal Collection, we have this handsome watercolor by Mark Catesby (1682-1749). Catesby created the painting of a small bird (known as a Yellow-Breasted Chat) with a Turk’s Cap Lily. To give emphasis to the bird, Catesby has only faintly sketched-in the plant with it’s maple-shaped leaves. 

The painting was created for one Thomas Cadell from whom it was purchased by King George III in 1768.

Mastery of Design: An Eye Miniature, 19th C.

Miniature of watercolor on ivory
Nineteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at quite a few of these jewel-framed miniature portraits of eyes. Eye miniatures were a curious but brief anomaly in miniature painting that enjoyed a short turn in fashion at the end of the 18th century.


These sentimental paintings were given as tokens of affection from a woman to a man, typically, in an attempt to capture “the window of the soul” and offer an into the subject’s most intimate thoughts and feelings.

This one was made in the early Nineteenth Century. As usual, the painting is watercolor on ivory. We’re not sure who created it, who the subject is or to whom it was given. The shape of the piece is unusual, elevating the subject into a new elegance. The pearls set into the gold frame indicate that this was meant as an important gift.

Painting of the Day: A Miniature of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, 1902

Miniature
Watercolor on Ivory Set in Gold with
Pearls and Diamonds
Meant to be worn as a Garter Badge
1902
The Royal Collection
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II

Created in watercolor on ivory in 1902 to commemorate for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, this miniature by Johannes Zehngraf (1857-1908) is set in a pendant brooch with an intricate pearl and diamond Maltese cross border. The miniature was set this way so that it could be used as Queen Alexandra’s Family Order. It hangs from a red and white ribbon.

The miniature was first recorded in the Royal Collection during the brief reign of King Edward VIII who had a lot in common with his grandfather (Edward VII) as far as outlook and lifestyle were concerned (not as far as having a desire to serve his country is concerned). You can actually see the resmblence of the one-time Edward VIII to his grandmother, Prince Alexandra as she is depicted in profile on this miniature. 

Masterpiece of the Week: The Kitchen at Elmswell Hall, York

Click image to enlarge
The Kitchen at Elmswell Hall, York
Mary Ellen Best, 1834
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mary Ellen Best (1809-1891), a watercolorist, excelled in creating views of domestic interiors and tender genre paintings. She often created the interiors which she painted and was famous for some of the makeshift details in her scenes which were accurate representations of a typical home. She didn’t glamorize her scenes and took great pains in beings a true to life as possible, making sure that the furnishings matched the setting. For example, in this scene, Eighteenth Century chairs are shown, neatly depicting the fact that, in most great homes, the servants’ halls were furnished with pieces which were considered too out of fashion for the main house.

Here, we see one of Best’s creations—a watercolor view of the kitchen of a great country house, showing a woman inspecting bread dough as it is rising in a dough trough which is humorously supported by a chair. The piece was painted in Little Driffield, England in 1834.

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.

Painting of the Day: A Miniature of Caroline Lamb, 1815-1820

Miniature on Ivory
of Lady Caroline Lamb
Emma Eleanora Kendrick, 1815-1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted between 1815 and 1820, this miniature of watercolor on ivory is the work of Emma Eleanora Kendrick (1787-1871) and depicts Lady Caroline Lamb. 

Lady Caroline Lamb (1785-1828) was a well-known British aristocrat and novelist.  She often found herself at the center of scandals.  Perhaps, she is best known for her tumultuous affair with Lord Byron in 1812. Lady Caroline also had a famous husband--the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who later became Prime Minister (and controversial buddy) to Queen Victoria. Lady Caroline, however, was never  created the Viscountess Melbourne because she died before Melbourne succeeded to the peerage.  She is, therefore, known to history as Lady Caroline Lamb.