Lot 163: O. G. REJLANDER, 1813-1875

TWO FIGURES DRAWING WATER FROM A WELL (O.G. REJLANDER AND MODEL), MID- TO LATE 1850S

TWO FIGURES DRAWING WATER FROM A WELL (O.G. REJLANDER AND MODEL), MID- TO LATE 1850S

201 by 164mm

Albumenised Salt Print, mounted on modern paper,

LITERATURE

For Rejlander, O.G., see Jones, E.Y., 1973, Spencer, S., 1985, and the entry for the photographer in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: OUP 2004, by J. Hacking.

NOTE

O.G. Rejlander, the 'father of art photography', is well-known for including himself in his artistic figure studies taken from the mid-1850s through to the early 70s. Commissioned by Charles Darwin to supply illustrations for his On the Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) Rejlander posed for, among other emotions, 'indignation', 'disgust' and 'surprise'. Although Mary Rejlander frequently appears in her husband's photographs, the model seen here is not his wife. It has been suggested that Mary was behind the camera when her husband was posing in front of it.

This is very rich print of a rare subject. As an albumenised salt print it is likely to be an early work from the mid-1850s.