Artwork
Photograph
Photograph is a photographic photography by the Impressionist artist Hawkins. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. A sepia‑toned studio portrait from circa 1875 depicts a young child seated on a rocking horse.
About this work
This is a sepia photograph from around 1875. It shows a young child, likely James Pascoe, sitting on a rocking horse. The photo comes from a family collection donated to the museum.
The child wears a black dress and sits on a grey horse. The family gave the photo to the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of a larger collection.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
A sepia‑toned studio portrait from circa 1875 depicts a young child seated on a rocking horse. The image, part of a family archive, entered the Victoria and Albert Museum through the Pascoe collection, which also includes photographs, school records and paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The child, identified as likely James Pascoe, is dressed in a black dress—a common garment for young boys of the period—suggesting a domestic, informal moment captured for family remembrance.
Technique & Style
The photograph employs the sepia process typical of late‑nineteenth‑century studio work, emphasizing tonal warmth and soft contrast. The composition centers the figure on the grey rocking horse, highlighting the interplay of light on fabric and wood.
History & Provenance
Acquired as part of the Pascoe family donation, the photograph arrived at the museum alongside other personal items such as albums, school reports and exercise books, providing a broader context of the family's visual and documentary heritage.
Context
During the 1870s, studio portraiture served both as a record of family members and as a means to display social status. The inclusion of a toy horse reflects Victorian childhood leisure and the growing popularity of photography in domestic settings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (8 February 1807 – 27 January 1894) was an English sculptor and natural history artist renowned for his work on the life-size models of dinosaurs in the Crystal Palace Park in south London.
