Emma Brownlow (28 September 1832 – 1 January 1905) was a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

artist who is best known for her paintings depicting scenes from life at the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

in London.

Life

Emma was the yougest child of Johanna (born Parker) and John Brownlow, a

foundling Foundling or The Foundling may refer to: Places * Foundling hospital, an institution where abandoned children were cared for ** Foundling Hospital, Dublin, founded 1704 ** Foundling Hospital, Cork, founded 1737 ** Foundling Hospital, founded 17 ...

who had been a foundling brought up in the Foundling Hospital. He had started work as a clerk aged 14 and he had risen within the institution to become its director. John Brownlow had written several books about the institution, and a novel ''Hans Sloane'' (1831). The novel was an influence on

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's later novel ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', and its author is believed to be the model for the character

Mr. Brownlow Mr Brownlow is a character from the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Brownlow is a bookish and kindly middle-aged bachelor who helps Oliver escape the clutches of Fagin, & later adopts him. The novel Mr Brownlow is introduced ...

. Dickens was a friend of the Brownlow family.Colby, R, ''Fiction with a purpose: major and minor nineteenth-century novels'', Indiana University Press, 1967, p.128. Emma became an artist, producing a series of paintings in the 1850s and 1860s depicting scenes from life at the hospital. She also painted portraits and genre subjects. She exhibited at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

. Her most notable painting was ''The Foundling Restored to its Mother'', exhibited at the RA in 1858. She met the man she would marry, Donald King, through her involvement with the Hospital choir. King was a professional singer. Emma died 1st January 1905 in Kent. She was buried with her daughter Marian Brownlow King on the Isle of Wight, UK.

Work

Brownlow created four paintings in the same format depicting scenes from Foundling Hospital life and are permanently displayed at

The Foundling Museum The Foundling Museum in Brunswick Square, London, tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, United Kingdom, Britain's first home for children at risk of abandonment. The museum houses the nationally important Foundling Hospital Collection as we ...

. The first oil painting, dated from 1858, is titled ''The Foundling Returned to its Mother'' and is the most prominent painting of the four, depicting a mother of a foundling receiving her child back into custody. Her next painting was done in 1863, ''The Christening'', followed by ''The Sick Room'' (1864), an oil on canvas painting depicting a romanticized version of a child being cared for in the

. The fourth painting is titled ''Taking Leave'' (1868) and shows the process of a foundling preparing to begin work. The paintings are noted not only for their representation of the

, but for their inclusion of reproductions of famous paintings in the Hospital's collection; including two major works by

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

and one by

Benjamin West Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as ''The Death of Nelson (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...

. Catherine Roach notes that Brownlow's reproductions of

Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

paintings "stage a drama of redemption" for Foundling children using submerged representations of glorious causes. Rachel Bowlby argues that these paintings "carried on her father's work, promoting the virtues and values of the institution through pictures of its daily life and rituals."Rachel Bowlby, ''A Child of One's Own: Parental Stories'', Oxford University Press, 2013, p.99. Brownlow also painted smaller works depicting foundling children as well as portraits.

References

External links

Foundling Hospital Collection

Art UK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownlow, Emma 1832 births 1905 deaths 19th-century English painters