Not currently on display at the V&A

Mrs John Forster

Oil Painting
ca. 1856 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This portrait was presumably commissioned from the artist by John Forster (1812-1876), the husband of the sitter and a collector, who bequeathed his collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, drawings, watercolours and oil paintings to the V&A. Forster married the wealthy Eliza Ann Crosbie in 1856 and from the apparent age of the sitter, this portrait was painted soon after the marriage.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMrs John Forster (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on panel
Brief description
Portrait of 'Mrs John Forster' (nee Eliza Ann Crosbie), oil on panel, by Sir William Boxall. Great Britain, ca. 1856.
Physical description
Oil on panel; portrait, three quarter length, seated, of a smiling Mrs John Forster, wearing a voluminous white dress and holding a small dog in her lap.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 60.7cm
  • Estimate width: 46.4cm
Dimensions taken from Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990
Credit line
Given by D. R. Crawfurth Smith
Object history
Given by D.R. Crawfurth Smith, 1935
Summary
This portrait was presumably commissioned from the artist by John Forster (1812-1876), the husband of the sitter and a collector, who bequeathed his collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, drawings, watercolours and oil paintings to the V&A. Forster married the wealthy Eliza Ann Crosbie in 1856 and from the apparent age of the sitter, this portrait was painted soon after the marriage.
Bibliographic references
  • Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990, p. 9
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Charles Dickens: An exhibition to celebrate the centenary of his death London: HMSO, 1970. P.30. Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, June-September 1970.
Collection
Accession number
P.36-1935

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Record createdMay 4, 2006
Record URL
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