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Popular English poet (1806–1861) of the Victorian era, celebrated for her love sonnets. Important and extremely rare 6.5 x 9 albumen photo of Field Talfourd's charming portrait of Barrett Browning in a half-length pose, directing her gaze towards the viewer, affixed to an 8 x 10.75 mount, signed on the mount in ink, "Elizabeth Barrett Browning." In fine condition, with edge toning, scattered light foxing, and a chip to the upper right corner of the mount.
Field Talfourd (1815–1874) created his chalk portrait of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Rome in March 1859. The poet never owned the original herself and could only send photographs of it, which she did to her sister Henrietta and brother Charles John, both inscribed to them. The original was commissioned by and remained in the possession of Miss Ellen Heaton until she presented it to the National Portrait Gallery in 1871. Other than those to her siblings, Barrett Browning is known only to have signed two others; the present example and one now in the Armstrong Browning Library. Both of these can be presumed to have been in her personal possession and doubtless were among those she received in 1859.
In a letter of March 4, 1859, Barrett Browning wrote to her sister about the photograph of the portrait, 'A photograph from Mr. Talfourd's portrait of me (which has been greatly admired and considered very like by the Roman world) will be sent to you by an early opportunity, It is too flattering—much idealised, in fact—but there must be a good deal of likeness, or it would not strike so universally. As a work of art, it is certainly most beautiful.'
This is presumably one of the batch sent to her by the photographer. Robert Browning wrote of the image, 'The portrait is…the best in existence, perhaps.'
Provenance: previously part of Roy Davids's exceptional collection of literary portraits.
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