Figure 1.--This 1848 painting show Inglis and Henretta Synott. Inglis was 11 years old and wears a dress and strap shoes/slipprs like his little sister. Note that he, unlike his sister, wears pantalettes. Interestingly, perhaps characteristic of a boy, one of his strap shoes is not done up--rather strange for a formal painting. |
George Richmond was an eminent Victorian artist, drawing many of the greats of
the era, men like John Ruskin and Charles Dickens. He was a hugely prolific artist, both painting and drawing. Richmond was
also a noted engraver. He amassed a trenmendous body of work, including some wonderful portraits of children.
George Richmond was an eminent Victorian artist, drawing many of the greats of
the era, men like John Ruskin and Charles Dickens. He was a hugely prolific artist, both painting and drawing. Richmond was
also a noted engraver. He amassed a trenmendous body of work, including some wonderful portraits of children.
The children shown here were the daughter and son of Capt. Walter Synnot. Their mother was Marianne Thornton's sister Laura (figure 1). The boy is Inglis. His younger sister Henretta was born in 1841. There was a third child. Inglis was born in 1837. We have little information about his childhood. Given the fact that two portraits were done of the children and the fact that they were very well dressed, suggests that Inglis grew up in very compfortable surroundings and had an upper-class childhood. The posing of the portrait suggests that there was a close, affectionate relationship between brother and sister. The charming image here shows the Synnot children in 1848. The enraving shown here was done by the famous engraver and painter, George Richmond (1809-1896). Verification of this can be found in the E.M.
Forster archives which are kept at King's College Cambridge, readers may want to consult the catalog. The painting provides a good illustration of upperclass English childrens wear during
the 1840s. Inglis was 11 when painted and wears a dress
just like his little sister. Inglis has short hair, his dress is above the
knees. He wears pantelettes trimmed
with lace and ribbon, and white anklets and
strap shoes. In contrast his
sister has long curled hair
parted in the middle with hair bows, long stocking and strap shoes without
pantelettes. Except for the short hair, there isn't much about Inglis'
outfit that suggests modern boys' clothing. It is interesting to note in the painting that 11-year old Inglis wears pantalettes, but his younger sister does not. I believe the rational here is that it was more acceptable for younger children to have bare legs. It
was apparently deemed proper for Inglis, the older child, to modestly cover his bare legs below the knee--even though he was a boy.
Figure 2.--This 1843 watercolor shows the Swinburn children, Edith, Algernon Charles, and Alice. |
Another Richmond portrait of children is "Swinburne and his sisters". The children are Edith, Algernon Charles, and Alice. It was done as a watercolor in 1843. It is in the collection of the British National Portrait Gallery.
