Sutherland Album thumbnail 1
Sutherland Album thumbnail 2

Sutherland Album

Drawing
1800-1825 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
This is an album of watercolours, sketches and prints by various artists, accompanied by handwritten copies of poems and extracts from letters. Such albums were often called 'commonplace books', in which one recorded passages to be especially remembered.

People
This album contains works by amateur artists who were related to one other. They include Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland in her own right (her various incarnations through marriage were Lady Gower, Marchioness of Stafford and, finally, Countess-Duchess of Sutherland), and her friend, the amateur artist Henry William Bunbury (1750-1811). The Countess of Sutherland's nieces were Elizabeth Howard, 5th Duchess of Rutland (whose death is commemorated in a poem in the album), and Caroline Howard, Lady Cawdor, who also drew works included here. Other works are by the Countess of Harewood, whose son married a niece of Elizabeth and Caroline Howard, and Lady Caroline Georgiana Howard. There is also a print of their niece, Lady Mary Howard, inscribed 'The Rose of Castle Howard', and a drawing of Castle Howard, the Yorkshire seat of one branch of the Howard family. Even the poetry and extracts reflect family connections, including a poem by Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire, grandmother of the two younger Howard girls.

It is unclear who compiled the album. Clues to its formation might be the front cover, signed 'M Rutland', and the back, which shows Belvoir Castle, the Leicestershire seat of the Earls of Rutland. But authorship apart, this is a wonderfully random collection of works by amateurs united by ties of family and affection.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Sutherland Album (generic title)
  • Seeing a Prospect (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Drawing
Brief description
Drawing entitled 'Seeing a Prospect' by the Countess of Harewood (Henrietta Lascelles Harewood), from the Sutherland Album. Great Britain, 1800-1825.
Physical description
Drawing entitled 'Seeing a Prospect' depicting two women walking along a path on a windy day. They are both wearing wide brimmed hats, and the face of the woman on the left is obscured by her hat blowing into her face. She is also holding a parasol which has bent in the wind.
Dimensions
  • Height: 36.83cm
  • Open width: 49cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 06/05/1998 by KN
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
This album contains watercolours, drawings and poems by aristocratic friends and acquaintances of the 1st Duchess of Sutherland. It shows how amateur artists exchanged their works and collected each other's best efforts.
Credit line
Presented by Maj. Gen. Granville Egerton, great-grandson of the Duchess of Sutherland
Object history
Works by various amateur artists, including Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, the 1st Duchess of Sutherland (born in 1765, died in 1839), and Mary Isabella, 4th Duchess of Rutland (died in 1831).
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
This is an album of watercolours, sketches and prints by various artists, accompanied by handwritten copies of poems and extracts from letters. Such albums were often called 'commonplace books', in which one recorded passages to be especially remembered.

People
This album contains works by amateur artists who were related to one other. They include Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland in her own right (her various incarnations through marriage were Lady Gower, Marchioness of Stafford and, finally, Countess-Duchess of Sutherland), and her friend, the amateur artist Henry William Bunbury (1750-1811). The Countess of Sutherland's nieces were Elizabeth Howard, 5th Duchess of Rutland (whose death is commemorated in a poem in the album), and Caroline Howard, Lady Cawdor, who also drew works included here. Other works are by the Countess of Harewood, whose son married a niece of Elizabeth and Caroline Howard, and Lady Caroline Georgiana Howard. There is also a print of their niece, Lady Mary Howard, inscribed 'The Rose of Castle Howard', and a drawing of Castle Howard, the Yorkshire seat of one branch of the Howard family. Even the poetry and extracts reflect family connections, including a poem by Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire, grandmother of the two younger Howard girls.

It is unclear who compiled the album. Clues to its formation might be the front cover, signed 'M Rutland', and the back, which shows Belvoir Castle, the Leicestershire seat of the Earls of Rutland. But authorship apart, this is a wonderfully random collection of works by amateurs united by ties of family and affection.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1925, London: Board of Education, 1926.
Collection
Accession number
E.1734-1925

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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