Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a photographic photography by Wilhelm Hejda. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a black‑and‑white photograph mounted on a green card, part of a collection donated by William Kineton Parkes in 1938.
About this work
Overview
The work is a black‑and‑white photograph mounted on a green card, part of a collection donated by William Kineton Parkes in 1938. The image records six modest plaster busts depicting soldiers’ heads, each topped with a tall feathered or plumed hat. Arranged in two rows of three against a dark backdrop, the figures vary in orientation, some facing directly forward, others turned slightly.
Subject & Meaning
The busts appear to be study models or competition entries, suggested by the German label "Serie 8 1. Preis"—"Preis" translating as "prize." Their uniform military attire and stylized heads imply a focus on the visual language of soldierly identity, possibly exploring form, uniformity, and individual expression within a martial context.
Technique & Style
Captured in a straightforward photographic style, the image emphasizes the sculptural surface and the contrast between the light plaster and the dark background. The composition’s orderly arrangement highlights the repetitive yet subtly varied poses, allowing viewers to compare the treatment of facial features and hat details across the series.
History & Provenance
The photograph was one of numerous submissions that Parkes, a novelist, art historian, and librarian with a particular interest in sculpture, collected through questionnaires sent to sculptors in the 1920s. These materials are now housed in the Archive of Art and Design, preserving the correspondence and visual records of that period.
Context
During the interwar years, sculptors often participated in design competitions and exhibitions that awarded prizes for military-themed works. The German label indicates the busts may have been entered in such a contest, reflecting broader European artistic engagement with commemorative and propagandistic subjects after World I.
Artist & collection
Artist
