South Kensington Museum - Educational Collections. Gallery containing examples of materials for iInstruction in Art
Photograph
1868-1869 (photographed)
1868-1869 (photographed)
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Photographs and photographers were present from the very beginning of the V&A's history and the Museum has an extensive collection of images from the 1850s through to the present which documents the construction and development of the V&A and the South Kensington site.
Originally collected by the National Art Library as part of a programme to record works of art, architecture and design in the interest of public education, these topographic and architectural views were valued as records and as source material for students of architecture and design. As well as being crucial records of the history of the V&A, and an important element within the National Art Library's visual encyclopaedia, these photographs are also significant artefacts in the history of the art of photography.
Isabel Cowper was the sister of the South Kensington Museum's first official photographer, Charles Thurston Thompson (1816-1868) and of the Superintendent of the Museum, Richard A. Thompson. Little is known about Cowper, but in her letter of resignation in 1891, she refers to herself as the Museum's 'Official Photographer', having taken up the position after the death of her brother. As such, she is an important part of the early history of V&A and a seminal figure behind the Museum’s early uptake of photography to document the arts.
Originally collected by the National Art Library as part of a programme to record works of art, architecture and design in the interest of public education, these topographic and architectural views were valued as records and as source material for students of architecture and design. As well as being crucial records of the history of the V&A, and an important element within the National Art Library's visual encyclopaedia, these photographs are also significant artefacts in the history of the art of photography.
Isabel Cowper was the sister of the South Kensington Museum's first official photographer, Charles Thurston Thompson (1816-1868) and of the Superintendent of the Museum, Richard A. Thompson. Little is known about Cowper, but in her letter of resignation in 1891, she refers to herself as the Museum's 'Official Photographer', having taken up the position after the death of her brother. As such, she is an important part of the early history of V&A and a seminal figure behind the Museum’s early uptake of photography to document the arts.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | South Kensington Museum - Educational Collections. Gallery containing examples of materials for iInstruction in Art (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Isabel Cowper, South Kensington Museum (the 'Brompton Boilers'), Educational Museum, albumen print, 1868-69 |
| Physical description | A mounted albumen print of an exhibition space with display cases and framed prints covering the walls (some of the human muscular system and some female nudes). There are globes in the foreground and a sign over a door in the background: 'EDUCATIONAL COLLECTIONS'. On the mount is a descriptive label. |
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| Gallery label | Gallery 100 ‘A History of Photography’, 2014-2015, label text:
Isabel Agnes Cowper (1826?–1911)
The South Kensington Museum’s Educational Collection
About 1870
The 1857 Museum included an Educational Collection, photographed here by Cowper. Materials used for ‘instruction in art’ reflect the idea that art could be taught as a practical discipline through the observation of laws and principles. The Museum also held scientific collections and educational material used in the instruction of science. In 1899, the collections were divided into the ‘Art Museum’ (the V&A) and what is now the Science Museum.
Albumen prints
Museum nos. 67:559, 67:060
(06 03 2014) |
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| Summary | Photographs and photographers were present from the very beginning of the V&A's history and the Museum has an extensive collection of images from the 1850s through to the present which documents the construction and development of the V&A and the South Kensington site. Originally collected by the National Art Library as part of a programme to record works of art, architecture and design in the interest of public education, these topographic and architectural views were valued as records and as source material for students of architecture and design. As well as being crucial records of the history of the V&A, and an important element within the National Art Library's visual encyclopaedia, these photographs are also significant artefacts in the history of the art of photography. Isabel Cowper was the sister of the South Kensington Museum's first official photographer, Charles Thurston Thompson (1816-1868) and of the Superintendent of the Museum, Richard A. Thompson. Little is known about Cowper, but in her letter of resignation in 1891, she refers to herself as the Museum's 'Official Photographer', having taken up the position after the death of her brother. As such, she is an important part of the early history of V&A and a seminal figure behind the Museum’s early uptake of photography to document the arts. |
| Bibliographic reference | Julius Bryant, ed. Art and Design for All. The Victoria and Albert Museum London: V&A Publishing, 2011. ISBN: 9781851776665. |
| Other number | 9063 - Negative number (V&A Archive Guard Book reference) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 67559 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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