Artwork
Portrait of a child
Portrait of a child is a photographic photography by Hammersmith Photographic Co.. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a sepia-toned photographic portrait dating to roughly 1850.
About this work
The use of sepia tones adds to the vintage feel, while the child's attire and the chair's design provide insight into the era's fashion and decor.
The image presents a sepia-toned photograph of a young child, seated on a chair adorned with a fur throw. The child is dressed in a dark-colored dress featuring lace details and wears shoes, with their legs crossed. The background of the photograph is a plain wall.
The photograph exudes a sense of nostalgia, capturing a moment in time from the late 19th century. The use of sepia tones adds to the vintage feel, while the child's attire and the chair's design provide insight into the era's fashion and decor.
To learn more about the artist behind this photograph, explore the works of Hammersmith Photographic Co.
Overview
The work is a sepia-toned photographic portrait dating to roughly 1850. It shows a young child seated on a chair, the seat covered with a fur blanket, against a plain wall. The child wears a dark dress with lace trim, shoes, and has legs crossed. The image is mounted and part of a mid‑nineteenth‑century photographic collection.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures a domestic moment, emphasizing the child's attire and the modest interior setting. The fur throw and lace details suggest a middle‑class household, while the child's poised posture conveys a sense of formality common in early portrait photography. The composition invites viewers to consider childhood within the social conventions of the period.
Technique & Style
Executed on paper and later mounted, the photograph employs the sepia tonality typical of mid‑19th‑century processes, which deepens contrast and imparts a warm, aged appearance. The lighting is even, allowing clear definition of the dress’s lace and the texture of the fur blanket, while the plain background isolates the subject, a hallmark of early studio portraiture.
History & Provenance
The image resides in the Dudley Johnston Archive, originally housed in the Rare Books Room. At a later stage it was wrapped in tissue marked as miscellaneous material, alongside items from JDJ’s World War I collection and a photo‑kiosk series. Its cataloguing links it to the Hammersmith Photographic Co., a known studio of the era.
Artist & collection
Artist
This photo studio in Hammersmith made formal portraits in the late 1800s—think stiff poses, plain backdrops, and children dressed in their Sunday best.
