Featured Victorian picture

Dear All,

I came across this picture of a lady. It has been suggested that it is Victorian glass reverse painting. The frame is very old. Picture lights up in a daylight or any other light source. I was wondering if anyone might know more about this type of art and if it is worth anything ?
Many thanks

 

I don't understand what I'm seeing here. Is it two different pieces? Maybe someone did a backing to add color to the front image?

 

Hi we don’t really understand it. There is a single piece of glass which tells us that must to be a painting. Glass is bowed and very thin. There is no way that picture has been inserted. It’s very interesting.

 

Then I would have to guess a black and white photo printed on the glass, and reverse painted to colorize it. But in one image, the color glares, while in the next, it's not to be seen. It is interesting.

 

The picture glares only when it’s held up to the light then it shows the colour otherwise it looks like a ‘negative’ photo picture (but nothing stuck to it). We have found this treasure in our new property which is around 100 years old.

 

Is she an ambrotype? They were printed on glass. I found something similar once, tintype that only showed colors when held at an angle. Sold her to a collector a long time ago.

 

Hi thank you for your post. We have not got a clue what is she? You might be right she is an ambrotype. We still don’t know for sure. One of our colleagues mentioned that she looks like queen Victoria ? Very strange

 

Victorian era clothing for certain, possibly a widow. She doesn't look a thing like HRH Victoria except for the clothing style.

 

@Any Jewelry Any chance her wearing apparel is from your neck of the woods?

 

She was wearing what any lady in the UK or former Colonies would have worn in the era, if she was of a certain age and her husband or whoever had died. The Queen was in permanent mourning and everyone else took their fashion cues from Royalty. Back then anyway.

 

Hi. Thank you for your post. It’s getting more interesting. I am hoping that we will resolve the mystery soon

 

If it looks like a negative in ordinary light, then it likely is an ambrotype. Try putting a piece of black paper behind it and see how it looks then.

 

I concur that someone painted the backside of the glass thinking that would colorize the picture. That clothing looks more Dutch than English to me.

 

Hi thank you for your post. Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

Hi there and thank you for the advice. I will try to put a black paper behind and see what happens.

 

I was actually thinking of Brittanny, W. France. Possibly Pont Aven.
The Pont Aven lace cap was smaller in the mid 19th century, and an elderly lady would have worn an older type cap.
Collars of that shape, with those sharp downward points, are also seen in W. France, but I can't remember if it was Brittanny or Normandy.

You're referring to a widow's cap, the shapes of which varied, but I've never seen one like this.

The widow's cap was already worn in the Middle Ages, probably even earlier. So widowed ladies in the Western world certainly didn't follow Victoria, but they followed a centuries old custom. Besides, most ladies in other countries had no idea what Victoria looked like.

 

I bow to superior knowledge.