A Boy in a Peaked Cap

Attributed to Royal Victoria Gallery, this is a cut and gilded full-length silhouette of a teenage boy holding a slender cane. He is wearing a short jacket with brass buttons and turned-back cuffs over a white shirt and knotted cravat. He also has a striking peaked cap with a soft crown.

The quality of the profile and the style of the watercolour wash background both strongly indicate the work of the Royal Victoria Gallery. The piece is though unsigned and lacks an inscription.

It is housed in a handsome rosewood frame with a gilt slip and old glass. The condition is excellent with just a single spot visible on the background card (top left) and a short scratch to the glass.

The Royal Victoria Gallery was run by three members of the Frith family: brothers, Henry Albert & Frederick, and their father, John. The Gallery advertised themselves as ‘PAPRYOTOMISTS to His Late as well as to her present Most Gracious Majesty’. They toured extensively throughout England and Ireland during the 1830s and 1840s producing highly finished work. When the introduction of photography threatened their livelihood, the brothers embraced the new technology and opened a Photographics Studio.