Photograph
1855 - 1860 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The girls in this early photograph are Emily and Jessica Wakem, both born in Lambeth in the 1850s. Their father was an apothecary-surgeon, though he died when the girls were young.
The 'box back' style of dolls house seen at the right of the image was one of the cheapest and simplest styles of dolls' houses available in the mid-nineteenth century; they could be bought in department stores, fancy goods shops or through catalogues.
Here, the dolls' house has made its way into an early photography studio, and used as a prop in portraits of children.
The 'box back' style of dolls house seen at the right of the image was one of the cheapest and simplest styles of dolls' houses available in the mid-nineteenth century; they could be bought in department stores, fancy goods shops or through catalogues.
Here, the dolls' house has made its way into an early photography studio, and used as a prop in portraits of children.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Salt print photograph |
| Brief description | Salt print photograph of two sisters with dolls' house and furniture, photographer unknown, London, 1850s |
| Physical description | Black and white salt print photograph on thin paper, showing two girls in similar tartan dresses holding hands. The older one, standing, has her left hand on the roof of a small box back dolls' house. The dolls' house door is ajar and there is miniature furniture on the patterned rug on the floor. The wall behind the girls is plain, though an embroidered curtain hangs on the left side of the image. The seated girl has a doll in her lap and a dolls' house four-poster bed next to her. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Summary | The girls in this early photograph are Emily and Jessica Wakem, both born in Lambeth in the 1850s. Their father was an apothecary-surgeon, though he died when the girls were young. The 'box back' style of dolls house seen at the right of the image was one of the cheapest and simplest styles of dolls' houses available in the mid-nineteenth century; they could be bought in department stores, fancy goods shops or through catalogues. Here, the dolls' house has made its way into an early photography studio, and used as a prop in portraits of children. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.106-2014 |
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| Record created | August 5, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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