Visual Arts: Painting

Henry Briggs

Due to England's prosperity during the 19th century, the demand for portrait paintings by wealthy aristocrats increased. Although the invention of photography allowed one's likeness to be captured within minutes, portraiture on canvas was still very much in vogue.

English artist Henry Perronet Briggs (?1791-1844) was a leading portrait painter of the early Victorian age, a period which describes paintings produced between 1837 and 1901. He was described by English author William Makepeace Thackeray as "Baron Briggs." Although he was most known for his portraiture, Briggs also created paintings based on fictional sources.

This painting by Briggs depicts Juliet confiding in her nurse:

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Henry Perronet Briggs (?1791-1844) Romeo and Juliet-Act II, Scene 5 ("Juliet and Her Nurse") Oil on canvas, support 889mm x 698mm Located in the Tate, London, England Compare this painting of Juliet and her nurse with John R. S. Stanhope's 1863 Juliet and Her Nurse. How do you think the relationship depicted between Juliet and her nurse in Briggs's painting compares to Stanhope's? Which do you like more?