Love

Love, Victorian Sentiment, prints, books

  • Charles West Cope, 'Hope Deferred'

    Charles West Cope, 'Hope Deferred', 1877. Museum no. 29325.4

    Charles West Cope (1811-1890)
    'Hope Deferred'
    1877
    Etching with pencil
    Museum no. 29325.4

    In the original image lines from the poem 'Love' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge are etched beneath. Discarded gloves are complex but significant motifs in Victorian art, signifying absent-mindedness, compromised virtue or challenge.

  • Emily Farmer, 'In Doubt'

    Emily Farmer, 'In Doubt', 1881. Museum no. D.395-1905

    Emily Farmer (1826-1905)
    'In Doubt'
    1881
    Watercolour
    Museum no. D.395-1905
    Bequeathed by the artist

    In Doubt emphasises the gap between the power of a Victorian visual symbols and the subtlety of human emotion. She has a forget-me-not pinned to her breast, often worn to signify constancy and love, yet her downcast eyes betray her qualms. The veil may be a subtle reference to bridal wear.

  • John Brandard (1812-1863), 'A Delightful Waltz'

    John Brandard (1812-1863), 'A Delightful Waltz', about 1850-1860. Museum no. E.2468-1914

    John Brandard (1812-1863)
    'A Delightful Waltz'
    About 1850-1860
    Colour lithograph
    Museum no. E.2468-1914
    Given by H.C. Andrews

    This music cover shows a woman overcome with pleasure at a dance. Fainting and palpitations were thought to be acceptable indications of an excess of female emotion.

  • George Cruikshank the Younger, 'St Valentine As It Ought To Be'

    George Cruikshank the Younger, 'St Valentine As It Ought To Be', about 1870. Museum no. E.284-1948

    George Cruikshank the Younger (active about 1870)
    'St Valentine As It Ought To Be'
    About 1870
    Pen and ink
    Museum nos. E.284-1948
    Bequeathed by H.H. Harrod

    These satirical allegories were probably intended for illustration. However, even 'St Valentine as it ought to be' appears to offer a tongue-in-cheek view of over-sentimental, idealised love. Together these drawings explore the boundaries between genuine feeling and financially driven emotion.