Tuesday 10th December - Suspense

Right, we are now into double figures! Welcome to Day 10 of Catvent...

Fluffy resented being made to do the YMCA against his will...

A question I get asked a lot is whether Chairman Meow and our Heinz 57 terrier Blossom get along.  Blossom does have a hatred of cats when they appear in her garden and Chairman was included, but as soon as he stepped into the house, all that changed.  She spent about a fortnight being terrified of him and hiding upstairs, but then she decided she loved him and has been devoted to him ever since.

As you can see, the stripy pair have made friends and Bonnie and Clyde are also known to tag team food off the kitchen counters when we are not looking. This brings me to today's painting...

Suspense (1894) Charles Burton Barber

Jigsaw puzzles on many a Grandma's shelf will have this image, and no doubt a good few biscuit tins too. As late as the 1990s, companies were offering decorative plates with this image on them. Here we have a little girl saying a prayer before eating what I assume is her breakfast in bed. I am a particular fan of dippy soldiers so I'm all in favour of this.  She also seems to have a box and some flowers, so I wonder if the little girl has been ill and that is why she is eating in bed. I'm trying to make out the flowers as you know how I feel about the language of flowers...

Flower detail...

Okay, I'm going to guess the red one is a geranium, and if it is a scarlet geranium, then it could mean consolation. If anyone would like to guess at the blue one or what the yellow things are, I'd be grateful.  Maybe the little girl is being consoled for something other than illness, and that's why she is praying.  I wonder if you can read the letter under the box in the original canvas? I need a narrative!  Apologies, back to the animals.

Intense Kitten Energy...

What a sweet little cat and dog, about to launch themselves onto our little poppet's breakfast.  Now, my two know better than to attempt any sort of food-related mugging, but it doesn't stop them hovering, vulture-like, if they fancy what your are eating.  Chairman is slightly more dignified but Blossom is entirely shameless and now she is older and her eyesight isn't as good as it was, she gets very close indeed. I've never seen either of my pair get that excited over a boiled egg, I must admit. It is such a tiny kitten, the perfect size for the tiny girl in the bed.  The Jack Russell looks quite big in comparison, but still appropriate - this is not a moment for a St Bernard.  Speaking of which, I met a gorgeous St Bernard in the park at the weekend; she was called Gracie and she was enormous and adorable. I digress.

Only a Shower (1884)

You will be unsurprised that Suspense swiftly became an advertising image.  It was bought by Pears, and the little girl looks like all the Pears children I remember growing up. Not that I'm bitter I never got to be a Pears girl. It was later bought by the Lever Bros for exactly the same reason - that bedding looks very clean and appropriate for a washing powder advert. It was last sold in 1997 when it seems to have made around half a million pounds but surely it would be worth far more today, now that we are beginning to embrace this pastel-perfect Victorian vision. Like Elsley, Barber seems to have used the same children and dogs over and over, with our little moppet either the same girl or related to the girl in Only a Shower and Friend or Foe (1896). I think if there is a hesitation to hold a Victorian Moppet exhibition, it might be that we still feel a bit dubious over the Victorians and children, and possibly rightly so, but I think the Victorian's relationship with childhood is so unique, dynamic and problematic that it would make a fascinating show.

I'll catch you tomorrow.