Hello! 🙂

My name is Roisin and I am one of the new interns working in the Archives section of the Aldham Robarts library. Our internship focuses on the research of animals in the Victorian periodicals with which we aim to produce an exhibition to be displayed on the lower-ground floor of the library.

My personal interests are what initially attracted me to this internship. My two main passions in Life are books and vintage style. When I say ‘vintage style’, I do not mean style in regards to just clothing, I love elements of vintage in all forms. Basically, I love old-fashioned paraphernalia and anything prior to the 1980’s. In addition, I am a dedicated vegetarian. So as you can imagine, working with Victorian periodicals, a combination of books and vintage, with a focus on animals, is just an absolute dream.

In May, I finished studying a three-year course in Sociology and I graduate on July 13th. The cultural aspects of the subject are my favourite and this background of study has definitely piqued my interest in the periodicals.

I am working alongside my fellow intern, Jade, and together we have devised some production ideals such as the exhibition and the blog. Before beginning the internship, I thought of ‘Victorian Animals’ as a rather specialised subject, which it is, yet there is a wealth of information surrounding it with further scope for interpretation. We have only touched the surface of what there is to learn and research, but so far, I find it interesting to see the Victorians fascination with exoticism. This evidently ties in with Colonialism and trade-relations between England and the Far East. There are many beautiful images of Eastern lands and exotic animals such as monkeys and tigers in periodicals like ‘The Animal World’ published by the RSPCA in 1890, and ‘The Illustrated London News’ published in 1853. The image below is entitled ‘Monkeys at Home’ and comes from ‘The Animal World’.

Exotics 3

Despite the allure of foreign animals, the Victorians had much love for the animals found in and around their own English homes. There are many artists of the Victorian era that have communicated this through their art, one of the most renowned being Sir Edwin Henry Landseer. Landseer and the monarchy had a special affinity. He painted many regal figures and their pets, most importantly, Queen Victoria herself.

For our first blog post, Jade and I have each selected an image from the periodicals we have looked through so far. I have chosen my favourite of Landseer’s, ‘Duke of Sutherland’s Children’.

Landseer painted this beautiful image in 1837 and it was published in 1841. The names of the children depicted are Lady Evelyn and her younger brother Lord Stafford. Initially, I was going to choose a different Landseer painting entitled ‘High Life’ because of how lovely and endearing I found the dog in the painting to be. However, with further searching, I discovered ‘Duke of Sutherland’s Children’ in which the same breed of dog features. The dog I am referring to is the sad, moody thing leaning against the tree with the most pitiful expression on his face. He is jealous that his mistress is giving her attention to the pretty fawn for whom she is creating a delicate flower wreath. I find the fact that the spaniel on its hind legs is attempting to assist, adorable! Lord Stafford sitting on the grass with his dog in his lap hints at the lazy, relaxed atmosphere of the afternoon. Essentially, I fell in love with the serenity of the image. The painting as a whole is sweet, feminine, and innocent. Lady Evelyn’s clothing is plush and indicates her royalty. All attention is directed towards this young girl who exerts a certain motherly persona. Also, note the castle on the hazy horizon. The relationship expressed between humans and flora and fauna in this painting is one of love, admiration, loyalty, and kindness. Both man and nature alike share this idyllic setting to pass the time, even if someone in particular is sulking!

I hope you enjoy this image as much as I do!

Roisin

x

References

Pictures by Landseer (1882) London: Thomas Nelson and Sons

Royal Collection Trust. Children of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland. [online] Available at: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/815196/children-of-the-2nd-duke-of-sutherland [Accessed: 22/6/2017]

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (comp.) (1890) The Animal World. London: S.W. Partridge and Co.