Lines and Colors art blog

Eye Candy for Today: Henriette Browne’s Girl Writing

A Girl Writing; The Pet Goldfinch, Henriette Browne
A Girl Writing; The Pet Goldfinch, Henriette Browne

Link is to zoomable image on Google Art Project; there is a downloadable high-res file on Wikimedia Commons; the original is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. [Correction: the original is in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, Costume, Play and Learn Gallery, which is either part of, or associated with the V&A.]

A beautifully sensitive portrait/genre scene. Browne’s superb control of values allows the soft, indirect light of the scene to reveal rich details while holding the composition in a harmonious balance.

I haven’t seen the original, but I think the Google Art Project and Wikimedia Commons versions of the image are dark and oversaturated. I’ve corrected the Wikimedia file here to bring it closer to the version on the V&A site.


Comments

7 responses to “Eye Candy for Today: Henriette Browne’s Girl Writing

  1. Beautiful! Very delicately done!

  2. Great painting. Btw, last year i saw her painting The Sisters of Mercy in the Hamburger Kunsthalle, and it was in my opinion the best picture of the whole collection, very impressive handling of the different white tones.

    1. Absolutely beautiful! Thanks!

  3. Wow, incredible artist! Why have I not heard of her before? (That’s why I love this blog.)

    As an aside, can you imagine a time when young children wrote in beautiful cursive with dip pens?

    1. Thanks. Unfortunately, I can only find about a dozen images of her work on the web so far, she is not well known. See the link in the comment from KunstKommtVonKoennen for a striking one.

      I like the used blotter paper in this image (anybody remember blotter paper?).

  4. rob hirsh Avatar
    rob hirsh

    Superb painting that must be seen “in the flesh” to be truly appreciated. The original is not at the Victoria and Albert Museum, as is erroneously reported everywhere this wonderful picture is discussed, but at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood. Next time you are in London I urge anyone to go and see it; you will not be disappointed. Indeed, the museum itself is worth a visit. Truly spectacular in its presentation of childhood diversions throughout the ages.

    1. Thanks, Rob, for both the correction and the recommendation.