Emma Brownlow (1832–1905) was a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

artist who is best known for her paintings depicting scenes from life at the Foundling Hospital in London.

Life

Emma was the daughter of John Brownlow, a

foundling Foundling may refer to: * An abandoned child, see child abandonment * Foundling hospital, an institution where abandoned children were cared for ** Foundling Hospital, Dublin, founded 1704 ** Foundling Hospital, Cork, founded 1737 ** Foundling H ...

who had been brought up in the Hospital. He had risen within the institution to become its director. John Brownlow had written several books about the institution, and a novel ''Hans Sloane'' (1831). The novel was an influence on

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

's later novel '' Oliver Twist'', and its author is believed to be the model for the character Mr. Brownlow. Dickens was a friend of the Brownlow family.Colby, R, ''Fiction with a purpose: major and minor nineteenth-century novels'', Indiana University Press, 1967, p.128. Emma became an artist, producing a series of paintings in the 1850s and 1860s depicting scenes from life at the hospital. She also painted portraits and genre subjects. She exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Her most notable painting was ''The Foundling Restored to its Mother'', exhibited at the RA in 1858. She met the man she would marry, Donald King, through her involvement with the Hospital choir. King was a professional singer. The couple later moved to New Zealand. After her marriage, she rarely painted.

Work

Brownlow created four paintings in the same format depicting scenes from Foundling Hospital life and are permanently displayed at The Foundling Museum. The first oil painting, dated from 1858, is titled ''The Foundling Returned to its Mother'' and is the most prominent painting of the four, depicting a mother of a foundling receiving her child back into custody. Her next painting was done in 1863, ''The Christening'', followed by ''The Sick Room'' (1864), an oil on canvas painting depicting a romanticized version of a child being cared for in the Foundling Hospital. The fourth painting is titled ''Taking Leave'' (1868) and shows the process of a foundling preparing to begin work. The paintings are noted not only for their representation of the Foundling Hospital, but for their inclusion of reproductions of famous paintings in the Hospital's collection; including two major works by

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like ...

and one by

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...

. Catherine Roach notes that Brownlow's reproductions of

Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

paintings "stage a drama of redemption" for Foundling children using submerged representations of glorious causes. Rachel Bowlby argues that these paintings "carried on her father's work, promoting the virtues and values of the institution through pictures of its daily life and rituals."Rachel Bowlby, ''A Child of One's Own: Parental Stories'', Oxford University Press, 2013, p.99. Brownlow also painted smaller works depicting foundling children as well as portraits.

References

External links

Foundling Hospital CollectionArt UK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownlow, Emma 1832 births 1905 deaths 19th-century English painters