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Don Quixote in His Study

Photograph
1855 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Price, William Henry Lake (photographer)
Place of origin
Britain (made)

W.H. Lake Price was a painter as well as a photographer. He exhibited several photographs of literary characters, such as Robinson Crusoe and Don Quixote. These parallel reconstructions by painters. Here the model - book in hand - rolls his eyes, looking sharply up and to his left, as a way of indicating Don Quixote's eccentric demeanour. The study is also reminiscent one described by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Antiquary (1816). The Museum's founding-director Sir Henry Cole saw and disliked such historical costume-piece photographs ('the dramatic Scenes I think failures') but bought The First of September, a still life, by the same photographer.

Object details

Category
Photographs
Object type
Photograph
TitleDon Quixote in His Study (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Photograph
Paper
Photographic Paper
Albumen Process
Brief description
Photograph by William Henry Lake Price, 'Don Quixote in His Study', 1855, Albumen print from glass negative
Physical description
Pale sepia photograph mounted on card showing a bearded model posing as Don Quixote, seated in his study among books, curios and assorted arms and armour
Dimensions
  • Image height: 324mm
  • Image width: 283mm
  • Sheet height: 605mm
  • Sheet width: 500mm
Style
Victorian
Production typeUnlimited edition
Gallery label
Photography Centre 2018-20:

William Henry Lake Price (1810–96)
Don Quixote in his Study
1855

Depictions of literary characters were typical for Victorian painters, but more controversial for photographers, as the greater realism of photography highlighted the artifice in their production. Here the character of Don Quixote is surrounded by objects relating to his adventures as a knight. The V&A’s founding director, Henry Cole, disliked historical costume-piece photographs like this, saying, ‘the dramatic Scenes I think failures’, but he did purchase a still life by Lake Price for the Museum.

Albumen print
Museum no. 3-1976
Making It Up: Photographic Fictions (2018)
Marta Weiss

Literary scenes were typical subjects for Victorian painters but more controversial for photographers. The V&A’s founding director, Sir Henry Cole, disliked historical costume-piece photographs, saying, ‘the dramatic Scenes I think failures’, but he did purchase a still life by Lake Price for the Museum. Lake Price’s work inspired Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) to make similar tableau-like photographs.
Label for 'Making It Up: Photographic Fictions' (3 May 2013 - 12 January 2014):

William Henry Lake Price (1810–96)
Don Quixote in his Study
1855

Literary scenes were typical subjects for Victorian painters but more controversial for photographers. This museum’s founding director Sir Henry Cole disliked historical costume-piece photographs, saying, 'the dramatic Scenes I think failures', but he did purchase a work by this photographer for the Museum. Lake Price’s work also inspired Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll, whose work is also displayed in this gallery) to make similar tableau-like photographs.

Albumen print
Museum no. 3-1976
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Reason For Production: Exhibition
Summary
W.H. Lake Price was a painter as well as a photographer. He exhibited several photographs of literary characters, such as Robinson Crusoe and Don Quixote. These parallel reconstructions by painters. Here the model - book in hand - rolls his eyes, looking sharply up and to his left, as a way of indicating Don Quixote's eccentric demeanour. The study is also reminiscent one described by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Antiquary (1816). The Museum's founding-director Sir Henry Cole saw and disliked such historical costume-piece photographs ('the dramatic Scenes I think failures') but bought The First of September, a still life, by the same photographer.
Bibliographic reference
Hunt, Tristram and Victoria Whitfield, Art Treasures in Manchester: 150 years on Manchester: Manchester Art Gallery, 2007. ISBN 978 0 90167 372 5.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
3-1976

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Record createdFebruary 11, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O92637/don-quixote-in-his-study-photograph-price-william-henry/
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