Watercolour Box
ca. 1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This watercolour box contains watercolours in cakes, quill pens, graphite and brushes, all ready for instant use.
People
Thomas and William Reeves (later the firm of Reeves & Woodyer), were 'artists' colourmen', as suppliers of art materials were then called. They realized that there was an increasing and lucrative market for boxes such as this one. In 1780 they had introduced commercially-prepared cakes or pans of watercolour, which were inexpensive, portable and easy to use. The colours were already prepared and formed into cakes with a binding medium, thus avoiding the messy and tedious preparation of pigments that had been necessary hitherto. Some artists still relied on the traditional method of grinding their own colours and mixing their own solutions of natural gum in water, but these improvements in solid colour-cake manufacture had rendered the practice unnecessary.
Technique
At the beginning of the 19th century, watercolour painting was a polite accomplishment for young men and women. This enabled otherwise impoverished artists to make a living as drawing-masters to the children of wealthy families.
This watercolour box contains watercolours in cakes, quill pens, graphite and brushes, all ready for instant use.
People
Thomas and William Reeves (later the firm of Reeves & Woodyer), were 'artists' colourmen', as suppliers of art materials were then called. They realized that there was an increasing and lucrative market for boxes such as this one. In 1780 they had introduced commercially-prepared cakes or pans of watercolour, which were inexpensive, portable and easy to use. The colours were already prepared and formed into cakes with a binding medium, thus avoiding the messy and tedious preparation of pigments that had been necessary hitherto. Some artists still relied on the traditional method of grinding their own colours and mixing their own solutions of natural gum in water, but these improvements in solid colour-cake manufacture had rendered the practice unnecessary.
Technique
At the beginning of the 19th century, watercolour painting was a polite accomplishment for young men and women. This enabled otherwise impoverished artists to make a living as drawing-masters to the children of wealthy families.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, paper and mixed materials including pigments |
| Brief description | Watercolour box, containing watercolours in cakes, quill-pens, graphite, brushes etc. Manufactured by W J Reeves and Woodyer, 80 Holborn Bridge, London, ca. 1820. |
| Physical description | Watercolour box, containing watercolours in cakes, quill-pens, graphite, brushes etc. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Miss Pamela Hodges |
| Object history | Made by Reeves & Woodyer, 80 Holborn Bridge, London |
| Summary | Object Type This watercolour box contains watercolours in cakes, quill pens, graphite and brushes, all ready for instant use. People Thomas and William Reeves (later the firm of Reeves & Woodyer), were 'artists' colourmen', as suppliers of art materials were then called. They realized that there was an increasing and lucrative market for boxes such as this one. In 1780 they had introduced commercially-prepared cakes or pans of watercolour, which were inexpensive, portable and easy to use. The colours were already prepared and formed into cakes with a binding medium, thus avoiding the messy and tedious preparation of pigments that had been necessary hitherto. Some artists still relied on the traditional method of grinding their own colours and mixing their own solutions of natural gum in water, but these improvements in solid colour-cake manufacture had rendered the practice unnecessary. Technique At the beginning of the 19th century, watercolour painting was a polite accomplishment for young men and women. This enabled otherwise impoverished artists to make a living as drawing-masters to the children of wealthy families. |
| Bibliographic reference | Lambert, Susan. Drawing: Technique & Purpose. London: Victoria & Albert Museum, 1981. p.20. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.19-1975 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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