Victorian Portraits, Paintings and Music

Apart from just looking at the Victorian fashion and what kind of hairstyle and make up was popular during this era , I also wanted to know what kind of music they would listen to and how paintings and portraits would look like from that era. So I had a look at some paintings, typical music and portraits and will show you here my favourites. I actually intended to create a Victorian playlist so you could listen to beautiful Victorian music while reading my blog but it turns out I am not capable of adding a playlist^^ I tried really hard but somehow it's not working :D Therefore I have to post the video links. But I will keep trying ;)

Let's start with the portraits .

And because it was the Victorian era let's start with some portraits of Queen Victoria.

http://www.ogh.qut.edu.au/about/history/people/

By Franz Xavier Winterhalter, 1859

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/queen-victoria-18191901-139886

by an unknown artist

oil on canvas, 33 x 29 cm

Shown at the Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/victorians/victoria.htm

When Victoria was still young

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria

Queen Victoria's Coronation portrait from 1938 by George Hayter

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/victorians/victoria.htm

Queen Victoria with her husband( Prince Albert of Saxe- Coburg and Gotha) and some of her children.

With the invention of the camera in the early 1800 ( from there on happened a lot of development and the camera was officially introduced in 1839) it was during the late Victorian time that people started to manipulate the photographs and I have found some very interesting photographs.

But they were rather peculiar and first I didn't want to believe that they were actually from that time but a lot of sources say so, so I guess it must be true. If not I am sorry!

Everyone wants nice family pictures but these are definitely special^^

Let's welcome the headless family photographs and portraits :D

(source)

What a lovely Mother, son and daughter picture!

I think those photographs also fit quite well with the Gothic theme because if you look at them they do give a rather dark feeling off.

I also found some really nice paintings.

I want to start with a couple of paintings by John Atkinson Grimshaw.

John Atkins Grimshaw was an english painter and lived from 1836- 1893(http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/atkinson-grimshaw-227)

He has a lot of paintings of 'moonlight' which I especially like.

'The Thames Below Bridge'

http://www.johnatkinsongrimshaw.org/The-Thames-below-bridge.html

'Reflections On The Thames, Westminster'

http://www.johnatkinsongrimshaw.org/Reflections-on-the-Thames,-Westminster.html

'Moonlight After Rain'

http://www.johnatkinsongrimshaw.org/Moonlight-After-Rain-large.html

'My Fair Lady'

By Frank Dicksee.

He was an english painter as well and lived from 1853- 1928. You can visit this website to read a bit more about him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/my-lady-fair-204863

It was painted in 1903( so just 2 years after Queen Victoria's death) and is 125,9 x 76,4 cm.Oil on canvas and can be found at the Manchester City Galleries(source)

'Romeo and Juliet'

Frank Dicksee finished this painting 1884. You can actually go and see it here at the Southampton City Art Gallery.

Oil on canvas

171 x 118 cm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/romeo-and-juliet-17438

'The Mirror'

by Frank Dicksee from 1896

Oil on canvas

95,3 x 118,1 cm

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=6940&size=large

I really like this painting because the women in it just looks so beautiful. Also the elaborate chair she is sitting on fits perfectly with the whole theme as well. Personally this painting reminds me a bit of paintings of the Greek Gods.

'Applicants For Admission To A Casual Ward'

by Sir Luke Fildes( 1844-1927)

He was also a british painter based in London.

He worked togehter with Charles Dickens, who asked him to illustrate his novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood.( http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-luke-fildes-183)

This paintings shows quite well the poverty during the Victorian era. Even though the painting was finished after 1908 you can still see Victorian clothing. Just look at the top hats the men wore.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/fildes-applicants-for-admission-to-a-casual-ward-t01227

As mentioned the painting was finished after 1908 , is oil on canvas and is 57 x 94 cm. It can be found at the Tate.

'Ophelia'

by Sir John Everett Millais, Bt

He lived from 1829- 1896 and found inspiration by Shakespeare for this painting.

The scene depicted is from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act IV, Scene vii, in which Ophelia, driven out of her mind when her father is murdered by her lover Hamlet, drowns herself in a stream:

There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds

Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;

When down her weedy trophies and herself

Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,

And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up;

Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes,

As one incapable of her own distress,

Or like a creature native and indued

Unto that element; but long it could not be

Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,

Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay

To muddy death.