Self-portrait of Rupert Potter (1832-1914) in historical dress
Photograph
1878 (photographed)
1878 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Rupert Potter (1832-1914), father of the children's writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), took up photography in the 1860s when it was still a relatively new art form. An enthusiastic and skilled amateur, he was elected to the Photographic Society of London in 1869 and later contributed to photographic exhibitions. Closely observed by Beatrix, Rupert assisted the artist Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896), a close friend, by photographing backgrounds for paintings and sitters for portraits. Rupert's favourite subject, however, was Beatrix herself and his prolific legacy of several hundred photographs forms a broad pictorial account of Beatrix’s life from infancy to marriage.
This self-portrait in historic dress was probably taken during the Potter family's extended summer holiday to Dalguise in 1878.
This self-portrait in historic dress was probably taken during the Potter family's extended summer holiday to Dalguise in 1878.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Self-portrait of Rupert Potter (1832-1914) in historical dress (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print on paper |
| Brief description | Double self-portrait print in historical dress; albumen print by Rupert Potter (1832-1914), 1878. |
| Physical description | Double photographic print depicting Rupert Potter in historical dress. In the left-hand image he holds a sword in his right hand; in the right-hand image the sword is in its sheath. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Joan Duke |
| Object history | Self-portrait by Rupert Potter, probably taken at Dalguise in 1878. |
| Production | Dated from a similar photograph in the Potter family photograph album in the V&A's Duke Collection |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Rupert Potter (1832-1914), father of the children's writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), took up photography in the 1860s when it was still a relatively new art form. An enthusiastic and skilled amateur, he was elected to the Photographic Society of London in 1869 and later contributed to photographic exhibitions. Closely observed by Beatrix, Rupert assisted the artist Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896), a close friend, by photographing backgrounds for paintings and sitters for portraits. Rupert's favourite subject, however, was Beatrix herself and his prolific legacy of several hundred photographs forms a broad pictorial account of Beatrix’s life from infancy to marriage. This self-portrait in historic dress was probably taken during the Potter family's extended summer holiday to Dalguise in 1878. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.761-2005 |
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| Record created | December 9, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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