La Fille du Regiment
Silk Handkerchief
1847 (drawn)
1847 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This pen and ink drawing on a silk handkerchief is anonymous but depicts the Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (1820-1887) as Marie the vivandière in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. Jenny Lind took London by storm after her first appearance at Her Majesty's Opera House on 4 May 1847 as Alice in Meyerbeer's opera Robert Il Diavolo and made her first appearance as Marie on 27th May. Queen Victoria attended both her first nights, and after seeing her as Marie on the 27th wrote in her journal that Jenny Lind: 'again had a great triumph, acting and singing exquisitely. She looked very pretty in her vivandière's dress and was so sprightly in that character, having touching moments when she takes leave of the Regiment.'
Jenny Lind trained in Stockholm and Paris and made her début in 1844 in Berlin, performing in Germany and Austria before making her London début. She became such a phenomenon in London that her portrait was reproduced on all manner of items, from snuff boxes and matchboxes to soap and candle snuffers. The contemporary song 'Jenny Lind Mania' celebrated the craze for her, starting: 'Oh! Is there not a pretty fuss, In London all around, About the Swedish Nightingale, The talk of London town, Each square and street as through you pass, Aloud its praises ring, About this pretty singing bird, The famous Jenny Lind.'
The artist who penned this image of the scene in the Tyrol in Act I of the opera chose to do it on a fringed silk handkerchief, possibly because it made it a more luxurious souvenir than a drawing on paper.
Jenny Lind trained in Stockholm and Paris and made her début in 1844 in Berlin, performing in Germany and Austria before making her London début. She became such a phenomenon in London that her portrait was reproduced on all manner of items, from snuff boxes and matchboxes to soap and candle snuffers. The contemporary song 'Jenny Lind Mania' celebrated the craze for her, starting: 'Oh! Is there not a pretty fuss, In London all around, About the Swedish Nightingale, The talk of London town, Each square and street as through you pass, Aloud its praises ring, About this pretty singing bird, The famous Jenny Lind.'
The artist who penned this image of the scene in the Tyrol in Act I of the opera chose to do it on a fringed silk handkerchief, possibly because it made it a more luxurious souvenir than a drawing on paper.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | La Fille du Regiment (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed silk |
| Brief description | Drawing on silk of the army camp in Act I of Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Regiment featuring Jenny Lind (1820-1887) as Marie. Pen and ink. |
| Physical description | Pen and ink drawing of the Act I scene of the opera La Fille du Regiment set in the Tyrol, showing Jenny Lind as Marie the vivandière standing to the left of one sitting and one standing soldier, and to the right of two further standing soldiers. A church and castle are in the background, top left, and to the right mountains and tents. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the Friends of the V&A |
| Object history | This drawing is anonymous but represents the Swedish singer Jenny Lind as Marie in Act I of Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Regiment that had its first London performance at Her Majesty's Opera House on 27 May 1847. This drawing was once the property of the singer Dame Joan Sutherland. |
| Association | |
| Summary | This pen and ink drawing on a silk handkerchief is anonymous but depicts the Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (1820-1887) as Marie the vivandière in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. Jenny Lind took London by storm after her first appearance at Her Majesty's Opera House on 4 May 1847 as Alice in Meyerbeer's opera Robert Il Diavolo and made her first appearance as Marie on 27th May. Queen Victoria attended both her first nights, and after seeing her as Marie on the 27th wrote in her journal that Jenny Lind: 'again had a great triumph, acting and singing exquisitely. She looked very pretty in her vivandière's dress and was so sprightly in that character, having touching moments when she takes leave of the Regiment.' Jenny Lind trained in Stockholm and Paris and made her début in 1844 in Berlin, performing in Germany and Austria before making her London début. She became such a phenomenon in London that her portrait was reproduced on all manner of items, from snuff boxes and matchboxes to soap and candle snuffers. The contemporary song 'Jenny Lind Mania' celebrated the craze for her, starting: 'Oh! Is there not a pretty fuss, In London all around, About the Swedish Nightingale, The talk of London town, Each square and street as through you pass, Aloud its praises ring, About this pretty singing bird, The famous Jenny Lind.' The artist who penned this image of the scene in the Tyrol in Act I of the opera chose to do it on a fringed silk handkerchief, possibly because it made it a more luxurious souvenir than a drawing on paper. |
| Bibliographic reference | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1668-2014 |
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| Record created | September 18, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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