Foundling Museum
Most children being raised at the Foundling knew coming of age (growing up) exactly what they were going to be from apprentices to governesses, thus they really had no need to participate in self-discovery and other life skills as their destiny was pre-determined.
Geffrye Museum
Governesses worked in homes with rooms quite similar to those modeled here in this museum; that's basically all they did (work), which sometimes lead to a sad, somber life.
Coming to age as a worker or governess often had its joys and hardships, from alone time at night sometimes but being in a very small room for that alone time, like the one modeled at the Geffrye Museum.
Tate Britain
This painting was done by Rossetti entitled The Girlhood of Mary Virgin. It depicts an era that females were supposed to be innocent and angelic. This painting connects with society's views on feminism because as a woman of that time, they did not have much freedom, and she was not distracted by men. She stays focused, working on the task at hand.
In this painting we see a boy and his mother who is dressed in all black because she could possibly be in mourning. It shows her as a poor woman trying to sell paintings in a man's world. Maybe she didn't know how to work because she had been taken care of by her husband, or maybe she was just trying to make ends meet. Regardless, this painting by Emily Osborn entitled Nameless and Friendless, shows that the working world during the 1800's was clearly a man's world; and the woman was receiving all sorts of judgements by the men in the shop.
I was very impressed by your blog this week!! I thought your pictures were great representations for the "coming of age as a worker" theme that we focused on this past week. My favorite parts of your blog were the pictures of the paintings and the in depth descriptions you put with these pictures. It made me discover a deeper meaning through your descriptions of these pictures and how you related that to 19th century ideals and displayed the struggles of working women during this time. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Casey!!! I like the way you were able to really connect the theme with the pictures and how you described them. Your detail would really give someone who has never been there a feel for what it was like. I also think that your descriptions relate well to what Jane was feeling and what we talked about in the book! :)
ReplyDeleteI too best appreciated your final commentaries from Tate Britain. (Keep in mind, though, that during the Virgin Mary's time, "feminism" did not exist!) As you continue to blog about our site visits, try to use quotes from the novel to link to the images that you capture from our visits. That way, other viewers can see what it is you're learning about each week.
ReplyDelete