Portrait of Lillie Langtry
Photograph
1860s - 1878 (made)
1860s - 1878 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This portrait depicts the British actress Mrs. Lillie Langtry (1853-1929), a ‘society beauty’ who was friends with Oscar Wilde and mistress to Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales and future king Edward VII.
The portrait is of the crystoleum process, by which a photographic print is glued image side down to a glass plate. The paper support is then rubbed off and the remaining image is made translucent with oil or wax (and may be enhanced with additional painting). Lastly, backing is added, giving the appearance of a painting upon glass. This process was popular from the mid 1850s until the early twentieth century, and was often used to reproduce ‘romantic’ illustrations in colour.
This image was said to have been displayed outside the Alhambra music hall in Leicester Square, London ca. 1878.
The portrait is of the crystoleum process, by which a photographic print is glued image side down to a glass plate. The paper support is then rubbed off and the remaining image is made translucent with oil or wax (and may be enhanced with additional painting). Lastly, backing is added, giving the appearance of a painting upon glass. This process was popular from the mid 1850s until the early twentieth century, and was often used to reproduce ‘romantic’ illustrations in colour.
This image was said to have been displayed outside the Alhambra music hall in Leicester Square, London ca. 1878.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Portrait of Lillie Langtry (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | crystoleum (also known as a chromo-photograph) |
| Brief description | Lillie Langtry portrait, photograph, crystoleum, hand-coloured, late 19th century |
| Physical description | Portrait of the actress Lillie Langtry, seated with right hand shading her eyes, the left hand hitching her skirt and petticoat to the knee. Hand-coloured photograph, mounted behind glass, in a wooden frame. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Unique |
| Object history | Thought to have been displayed outside the Alhambra music hall c.1878. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This portrait depicts the British actress Mrs. Lillie Langtry (1853-1929), a ‘society beauty’ who was friends with Oscar Wilde and mistress to Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales and future king Edward VII. The portrait is of the crystoleum process, by which a photographic print is glued image side down to a glass plate. The paper support is then rubbed off and the remaining image is made translucent with oil or wax (and may be enhanced with additional painting). Lastly, backing is added, giving the appearance of a painting upon glass. This process was popular from the mid 1850s until the early twentieth century, and was often used to reproduce ‘romantic’ illustrations in colour. This image was said to have been displayed outside the Alhambra music hall in Leicester Square, London ca. 1878. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 301-1917 |
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 | May 29, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
