Royal Victoria Gallery

Introduction:

The Royal Victoria Gallery was the name chosen by the Frith family of artists and silhouette makers, presumably after they had made portraits of Queen Victoria and other royals. It is supposed that other artists came to work for the Gallery though whether these unknown silhouettists completed full works, or whether they were confined to certain tasks such as highlighting, backgrounds, or even the actual cutting is unknown.

The pater familias was named John and though it is not known when he was born, it appears he died before 1842. Fred seems to have been born somewhere between 1810 and 1815, while details concerning Henry, who was apparently the most gifted profilist, and Leticia are unknown. The last appearance of The Gallery in the United Kingdom was in Edinburgh. After this the four siblings moved to Australia where they all died – one in his nineties. Signatures are found on the front of works simply as “Frith”. Most pieces are dated, some are not.

One feature of work done by the Victoria Gallery is that all extant portraits of men portray them with feet apart and the far leg bent. Another is the excellence of bronzed work which, it seems, was the work of Letitia. The Gallery also produced caricatures and here it is colour which identifies their work, particularly a peculiar pink and grey, as well as a yellowy colour for faces. The Royal Victoria Gallery was an excellent example of the Victorian art ‘industry’; one where families worked together, producing pieces in a variety of styles, made unique by specialisms such as Leticia’s bronzing.

Gallery Silhouettes