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This finely drawn map of 1721 was given to the Center at its opening by Alexander Vietor, former Curator of the Map Collection at Yale, in honor of Paul Mellon.
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Among the Rare Book Department's more unusual recent acquisitions is this unique naval woolwork, known as a "woolie." From the mid- nineteenth century, it was common for sailors to embroider mementos of their service in wool and silk to be hung in a family parlor. By the end of the century, the design often incorporated a tintype of the sailor who made it.
The tintype process was introduced in 1853 and became instantly popular in both Britain and the U.S. It was a cheap, simple, and quick way of capturing an image and it became widely used by street photographers in both countries. The sheet of black painted iron (not tin) was not terribly fragile and it was easily cut to mount in an album or framed in a piece of needlework.
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The comic opera Dorothy, with libretto by Benjamin Charles Stephenson (1838-1906) and music by Alfred Cellier (1844-1891), was one of the most popular London musicals of the nineteenth century. Cellier worked with both Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert, serving as principal conductor of Richard D'Oyly Carte's troupe for a number of years until he began to work independently on projects.
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The expatriate Swiss painter of animals Jacques-Laurent Agasse moved permanently to England in 1800. On his arrival in London, Agasse lodged with the family of Jean Chalon, a Huguenot watchmaker who left Geneva in 1794, during troubles arising from the French Revolution, and settled in England with his wife, two sons, and a daughter. At first, Chalon was appointed professor of French at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. The family later moved to London and settled at 8 Church Lane, Kensington, where this group portrait was painted. The Chalons were related by marriage to the artists James and William Ward and their brother-in-law George Morland. The sons, Alfred-Edouard and John James Chalon (who are not shown here), became artists and, much later, Royal Academicians. They were lifelong friends of Agasse. According to an old inscription, the subjects of this informal group are an uncle (standing on the right, conversing with a neighbor) and an aunt, who may be the figure peeling potatoes.
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This monumental, full-length, family portrait depicts Alexander Thistlethwayte, his wife, and two daughters. It is a stunning addition to the Center’s collection of eighteenth-century portraits, and in particular, its strong holdings of family and group portraits, commonly called “conversation pieces”.
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A splendid painting by Benedetto Gennari, a Bolognese compatriot and follower of Guercino, of the death of Cleopatra. Most likely painted in England around 1674 for King Charles II, Cleopatra, along with the equally erotic Diana and Endymion, was originally intended for Cardinal Richelieu in Paris; both paintings hung in the King's stanza.
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The Utrecht-based Dutch topographical painter Claude de Jongh visited London on several occasions, but never settled there. His remarkable view of Old London Bridge at low tide was taken from upstream looking east, and is one of only a small number of related views that were based on a drawing that is today in the collection of the Guildhall Library in London. It was painted to order in Holland, possibly for someone who lived in one of the houses on the bridge. The view is framed by the turrets of the Tower of London on the left and the ancient tower of the Church of St. Mary Overy (Southwark Cathedral) on the right.
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The Department of Prints and Drawings acquired a group of prints by Paula Rego, whose work was the subject of a major exhibition at the Center in the spring of 2002.
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