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1 of 253523 objects
Jenny Lind (1820-1887) 1848
Daguerreotype | 11.5 x 9.1 cm (image) | RCIN 2932510
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Daguerreotype of a full length portrait of Jenny Lind standing beside a piano, facing away from the camera, with her head and upper body turned left towards the camera. Her right hand rests on the top of the piano and her left hand is touching the keys. She is wearing a long dress and a dark colour lace shawl. The mirror on the wall to the right reflects her back and there is an ornate side table beneath it. The daguerreotype is mounted under glass.
Queen Victoria attended the first London performance given by the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind on the 4th of May 1847. She described the occasion in her journal: 'The great event of the evening however was Jenny Lind's appearance & her complete triumph. She has the most exquisite, powerful, & really quite peculiar voice'. She later sang among the choristers at the wedding of the Prince of Wales in St George's Chapel in 1863.
William Kilburn exhibited several daguerreotypes at the 1851 Great Exhibition, with this image being particularly well received. The exhibition jury commented: 'For novelty of design we may mention a small picture of the interior of a room, including a whole-length portrait of Jenny Lind: beside, and near her, is a large mirror, in which the figure is reflected. That the reflection in the glass is equally perfect with the original is the point worthy of remark and commendation'.
The daguerreotype was also reproduced with significant cropping in carte-de-visite format, such as in the example today kept at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (Museum Number S.138:66-2007).Provenance
Acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1849
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Creator(s)
(photographer)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Daguerreotype
Measurements
11.5 x 9.1 cm (image)
16.9 x 14.3 x 0.5 cm (whole object)
11.6 x 9.2 cm (sight)
Category
Object type(s)
Alternative title(s)
Jenny Lind (1820-87) standing at a piano
Featured in
ExhibitionVictoria & Albert: Art & Love: The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
The first exhibition to focus on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s shared enthusiasm for art
ExhibitionCrown and Camera: The British Royal Family and Photography 1842-1910 : The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
The first Royal Collection exhibition to be entirely dedicated to photography
MicrositePrince Albert
Learn more about the life and legacy of Prince Albert through selected papers and collections
MicrositePrince Albert
Learn more about the life and legacy of Prince Albert through selected papers and collections
MicrositePrince Albert
Learn more about the life and legacy of Prince Albert through selected papers and collections