Lot Essay
Intimate portraits of gypsies in front of their canvas tents playing cards and palm-reading; an image of a mother picking lice out of her daughter's hair, another of her cradling a small child while three others sleep around her; two portraits of a woman with a sleeping boy lying across her lap, reminiscent of the Madonna and child; and an individual portrait of a young girl (illus.).
Gypsies were a prominent subject for discussion and debate during the 19th century, often coming under attack for their supposed thieving and other anti-social activities. By the middle of the century, there was more curiosity about their lifestyle, which was often romanticised in popular novels and came under scrutiny in such works as George Borrow's The Romany Rye, 1857. While many photographers, such as J. D. Llewelyn, posed members of their families in rags to create images of gypsies, it is unusual to find portraits which appear to be documenting real life as these do. It is possible these photographs were intended for use in a publication, although none has so far been traced. A comparison of the subjects with those in the Scott Macfie Gypsy Collection at the University of Liverpool suggests the gypsies are likely to be of Eastern European origin.
Gypsies were a prominent subject for discussion and debate during the 19th century, often coming under attack for their supposed thieving and other anti-social activities. By the middle of the century, there was more curiosity about their lifestyle, which was often romanticised in popular novels and came under scrutiny in such works as George Borrow's The Romany Rye, 1857. While many photographers, such as J. D. Llewelyn, posed members of their families in rags to create images of gypsies, it is unusual to find portraits which appear to be documenting real life as these do. It is possible these photographs were intended for use in a publication, although none has so far been traced. A comparison of the subjects with those in the Scott Macfie Gypsy Collection at the University of Liverpool suggests the gypsies are likely to be of Eastern European origin.