An Old Woman Spinning Silk
Oil Painting
ca. 1816 (painted)
ca. 1816 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Margaret Sarah Carpenter was a prolific portraitist who exhibited throughout the first half of the 19th century at the Royal Academy; three of her portraits are in the National Portrait Gallery. This genre scene of an old woman spinning is one of her earliest known works. She seems to have exhibited it at the British Institute in 1816, when she was just 23, under the title 'An Old Woman Spinning Silk'. It may have been cut down before it was sold; the exhibition catalogue records a measurement of '40 by 37 inches', but the V&A's painting is significantly smaller.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | An Old Woman Spinning Silk |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil Painting, 'An Old Woman Spinning', Mrs Margaret Sarah Carpenter, ca. 1816 |
| Physical description | An oil painting depicting an old woman in cloak and bonnet seated at a spinning wheel. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by John M. Parsons |
| Object history | Bequeathed by John M. Parsons, 1870. This is most likely the painting exhibited under the title 'An Old Woman Spinning Silk' at the British Institute in 1816. |
| Historical context | Margaret Sarah Carpenter, née Geddes, was a prolific portraitist; three of her portraits are in the National Portrait Gallery. Her husband's obituary stated that '[she] would certainly have been a Royal Academician but for her sex' (Gentleman's Magazine, September 1866, p. 410). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Margaret Sarah Carpenter was a prolific portraitist who exhibited throughout the first half of the 19th century at the Royal Academy; three of her portraits are in the National Portrait Gallery. This genre scene of an old woman spinning is one of her earliest known works. She seems to have exhibited it at the British Institute in 1816, when she was just 23, under the title 'An Old Woman Spinning Silk'. It may have been cut down before it was sold; the exhibition catalogue records a measurement of '40 by 37 inches', but the V&A's painting is significantly smaller. |
| Bibliographic reference | Parkinson, R., Victoria and Albert Museum, Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, London: HMSO, 1990, p. 23 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 512-1870 |
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.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 8, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
