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Girl with doll playing the piano
Illustration
ca.1900 (made)
ca.1900 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Ernest Nister (1842-1909) began his publishing career in 1885 when he acquired a lithographic workshop in Nürnberg and printed books for London publishers. In 1888 he became a publisher in his own right with offices at 24 St. Bride Street, London. He appointed the writer and editor, Robert Ellice Mack, as director.
Nister specialised in high quality colour printing for children in the last quarter of the 19th century. Movable books with various mechanisms became his speciality after 1890 (when be published his first stand-up book) but he also produced numerous picture books, annuals, poetry, nursery rhymes, calendars and greetings cards. He worked with a core of writers, including Clifton Bingham and Robert Ellice Mack, and illustrators, in particular Eveline Lance, Harriett M. Bennett, Edith A. Cubitt and Rosa Petherick.
This watercolour by Rosa C. Petherick includes a golliwog, seen next to a girl playing the piano. The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. The doll the character was based on was influenced by the Blackface performance tradition, and as such evolved from a performance tradition grounded in racism. While from the late 19th century until the 1960s the golliwog flourished as a toy, its popularity began to wane in the 1970s as many British people felt that it promoted racial stereotypes.
Nister specialised in high quality colour printing for children in the last quarter of the 19th century. Movable books with various mechanisms became his speciality after 1890 (when be published his first stand-up book) but he also produced numerous picture books, annuals, poetry, nursery rhymes, calendars and greetings cards. He worked with a core of writers, including Clifton Bingham and Robert Ellice Mack, and illustrators, in particular Eveline Lance, Harriett M. Bennett, Edith A. Cubitt and Rosa Petherick.
This watercolour by Rosa C. Petherick includes a golliwog, seen next to a girl playing the piano. The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. The doll the character was based on was influenced by the Blackface performance tradition, and as such evolved from a performance tradition grounded in racism. While from the late 19th century until the 1960s the golliwog flourished as a toy, its popularity began to wane in the 1970s as many British people felt that it promoted racial stereotypes.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Girl with doll playing the piano (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Watercolour on card |
Brief description | Watercolour drawing by Rosa C. Petherick, ca.1900; commissioned by Ernest Nister. |
Physical description | Watercolour drawing on stiff card depicting an interior scene of a girl sat at a piano. A doll on her lap 'plays' the piano. With a golliwog beside the girl (please see summary for explanation of the term 'golliwog'). Mounted on card. |
Dimensions |
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Production type | Unique |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Donated by Anne Renier and F.G. Renier. |
Object history | Drawn by Rosa C. Petherick ca.1900 for Ernest Nister. Bequeathed to the V&A in 1970 by Anne and Fernand G. Renier as part of the Renier Collection |
Subjects depicted | |
Literary reference | Commissioned by Ernest Nister. |
Summary | Ernest Nister (1842-1909) began his publishing career in 1885 when he acquired a lithographic workshop in Nürnberg and printed books for London publishers. In 1888 he became a publisher in his own right with offices at 24 St. Bride Street, London. He appointed the writer and editor, Robert Ellice Mack, as director. Nister specialised in high quality colour printing for children in the last quarter of the 19th century. Movable books with various mechanisms became his speciality after 1890 (when be published his first stand-up book) but he also produced numerous picture books, annuals, poetry, nursery rhymes, calendars and greetings cards. He worked with a core of writers, including Clifton Bingham and Robert Ellice Mack, and illustrators, in particular Eveline Lance, Harriett M. Bennett, Edith A. Cubitt and Rosa Petherick. This watercolour by Rosa C. Petherick includes a golliwog, seen next to a girl playing the piano. The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. The doll the character was based on was influenced by the Blackface performance tradition, and as such evolved from a performance tradition grounded in racism. While from the late 19th century until the 1960s the golliwog flourished as a toy, its popularity began to wane in the 1970s as many British people felt that it promoted racial stereotypes. |
Other number | Nister - Previous Renier Collection pressmark |
Collection | |
Library number | RENIER.337 |
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Record created | March 3, 2008 |
Record URL |
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