A New Year's Day trip to The Scottish National Portrait Gallery

I tried to do some more content analysis on the images of women in the "Out of the Shadows" Gallery. I looked at the images and tried to work out what the message was in the image, or what the symbolism meant, then read the artwork description.  Sometimes I was spot on, other times very much wrong.  This time I put it into table form, which makes it much easier to read.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery –

Out of the Shadows – Women’s Gallery

1 January 2016

Name My interpretation	Approximate Size of image	Artist Statement
Naomi Mitchison 1897-1999 Scruffy, sad, and weary/wary expression	3’ x 4’	Writer, feminist, socialist, educationalist, economic projects in Africa
Jane Maria Strachey  1840-1928 Unconventional clothing, green cloak, orange lining. Glasses. Upholstered chair in library.  Left index finger pointing on lap.  Wedding ring.  Imperious with defiant chin.  Educated.	2’ x 3’	Poet.  Independent mind and spirit.  Feminist and suffragette.  Mother of 10 – educated all children – boys and girls.  Known for unconventional smart clothing.
Catherine Waterston Nee Sandeman 1755-1831 Widows weeds and modest cap and lace trim.  Quiet determination.  Sombre colours.  Open box (Jewellery?  Tea?) and silk scarf on table.  Looks frugal but very smart.	10” x 14”	Widowed at 25.  Merchant husband’s business expanded by her.  Sealing wax – candles – peppermint cure-all – stationery and books.  Strict Gasite church.  Light from window – representing work ethic
Elizabeth Johnston Hall and Jeannie Wilson & Annie Liston 1843-6 Fishwives.  Cleaner than I would have expected.  Very well wrapped up in shawls around body and head, with arms free.  Hard work in cold, dirty environment.	6” x 8” x 2 Photo	Chumming system when husbands away at sea.   Very poor communities but very strong social relationships.
Anne Rigby 1777-1872 Mother Lace cap and collar.  No gaze – downward eyes.  Folded hands.  Widows weeds.  Looks frugal.  Demure and chaste.	6” x 8” Photo	12 children including quads. A good example of how to age gracefully.
Lady Eastlake 1809-93 Daughter Side profile.  High fashion dress.  Sideways downwards and downwards gaze.  Demure but artificial and posed	6” x 8”  Photo	Intellectual, journalist, art critic.  Frequent sitter  -participated in composing the pose

Isabella Burns Begg 1771-1858 Widows weeds, lace edged bonnet.  Looks frugal, smart and severe.	10” x 8”	Burns sister.  Looks like Rabbie Burns.  Widowed 1813.  Supported 3 children by setting up schools.  Acted as gatekeeper to Burns’ memory.
Alexander Carse + mother + sister (both unnamed). 1770-1843  Women not named.  Chaste gowns and bonnets.  Full length images, seated.  Artists tools depicted – palette,frames and paintings.	8” x 10”	Mother reading from Bible.  Christian values, filial duty, respect for age and the word of God.  Protestant – individual salvation – all (ie inc women)  needed to be able to read the Bible.  Intellectual freedom for women.
Clementina Stirling 1772-1877 High fashion.  Red dress, black lace hat.  Flirtatious. Courtesan?	6” x 8”	Literary circles of Edinburgh.  Eccentric and unmarried.  Used disguises to be free.  Heiress – inherited brother’s estate.  Beautiful and intelligent.  Impersonator, author, translator, and beekeeper.
Isabella Smith 1755-1855 Widows weeds and white muslin cap.  Gentle expression with intelligent, direct gaze.  Chin down	24” x 30”	Inherited husband’s fortune from W Indies.  "Gentle mind, untaught to shine”  Intelligence not encouraged to develop.
Caroline Norton 1808-1877 Demure downward gaze to sketchbook.	14” x 16”	Poet, author and social reformer.  Left abusive husband who divorced hre for adultery with PM Lord Melbourne.  Guiltless but husband kept children. Petitioned Queen Victoria in 1855 re Marriage and Divorce Bill, as Queen Victoria was female.  This led to women in Scotland enjoying more property rights than in England.

Queen Victoria 1819-1901 Gentle gaze.  Rosebud mouth.  Very fair skinned.  Plump arms.  Awkward arms holding each other. Drooping pink rose in left hand.  White dress – off the shoulder. Privileged, beautiful and genteel.  Everything points to a leisured lifestyle, where lack of practicality is not an issue.	2’6” x 3’6”	Victoria Head of State, Albert Head of Family. Youth and femininity – 2 years after accession.  Power – blue sash of garter.  Crown – small hair ornament.  Strong influence on Govt when Britain had power and influence.
Mary Somerville nee Fairfax 1780-1872 Black gown.  White ruffled collar on shirt.  Fur stole.  Brooch and buckle.  Affluence.  Defiant chin.  Intelligent gaze.	2’6” x 3’	Intelligent with a love of learning.  Forbidden to study maths and algebra.  Studied at night, despite paternal disapproval and got international acclaim for astronomy, science, and geography.  Scientific publications 1831 and 1834.  Was first signatory for first petition for female suffrage in 1869..
Margaret Gourlay Ferrier 1832-1900 Black dress – gaze down at child on lap while playing piano.  Window to front shows view to forest.  Piano stool on top of animal skin – mankind dominates animal life?  Child’s shoes cast aside on floor?	2’6’ x 3’6”	Victorian narrative painting.  Mother and child @ piano.  Teacher and moral instructor of child.  Music uplifting, and love and respect for nature as of God’s creation.
Charlotte Nasmyth 1804-1884 Romantic artist as young woman.  Fresh blond complexion.  White empire line dress – muslin.  Holding flowers morning glory (affection), buttercup  (riches) and rosebud (youth), and sketchbook.  Demure.	2’ x 2’6”	Father gave same education to girls as sons.  Daughters taught art.  She became professional artist of romantic landscapes and exhibited widely
Pheobe Anne Traquair 1852-1936 Working cap and smock.  Imperious gaze.  Formidable.	Sculpture, bust	Painter, Illuminator, embroiderer, enameller.  Had 3 children with paleontologist husband

Susan Ferrier 1782-1854 Severe and chaste.  Imperious.	Sculpture, bust	Satirical novelist on subject of marriage.  A clever, caustic mind.  Independent minded and characterful heroines in her writing.  Devout and charitable.  Emancipated slaves.  A serious woman, taken seriously.
Anne Grant 1755-1838 Silhouette at writing desk.  Plump and imperious.  Absolutely upright on chair.  Books and quills.  Inkpot and pen	7” x 5”	Widowed.  Supported self and 8 children by writing. Scott descrbed her as a bluestocking.  Straightbacked and formidable
Margaret Oliphant 1828-1897  Pencil drawing.  Demure black dress, no collar.  Muslin cap.  Cross and chain x 2.  Sad look.	10” x 12” Pencil	Writer of novels.  Prolific.  Widowed by 30, 3 children.  Heroines resourceful single women.  Age of science, enlightenment and progress.  She believed it was definitely the age of the female novelist.
Jane Carlyle Ballgown and ringlets.  High fashion society.  Affluent.	3” x 4” enamel	Obscured by husband Thomas Carlyle.  Her writings cast a satirical eye on social scene.  Wit, sarcasm, sharpness and humour.

Critiquing what I have recorded, I note it is a bit inconsistent.  I have recorded what occurred to me when looking at the images, rather than always considering where the gaze lies, or what the angle of the chin is.  It is the angle of the chin that makes me think these women appear imperious, or defiant. So what is the difference between the two?  The chin is always up, but to be imperious, the gaze is down.  And with defiant, the chin is up and the gaze is level.

I think the portraits of women in the 19th century had significance in their size, particularly when representing people of a particular faith.  The Scottish protestant churches were noted for their frugality. Perhaps a small portrait gave status from the act of portraiture, but frugality and deference to God meant the image was restrained, respectful and deferential.

The bigger images were of 20th century women, royalty and affluent thinkers of their day.