Go Fish!

Whilst madly researching a piece for next week (or the week after, depends how I get on) I was looking for something lovely to amuse you during this cold, damp, dark January.  I was recently reminded of this beautiful picture...

Leisure Hours (1864) John Everett Millais

This is a glorious painting, not just for the beautiful rendering of two little girls in their flouncy dresses, but for the technical skill shown in that goldfish bowl.  I've seen this one in person and it is just the most perfect glass bowl, so much so that it upstages the little moppets by a mile.  It is obviously a way of showing what a brilliant painter he was but I wondered if any other artist used the goldfish bowl as a way of showing off their mad art skills...

Victorian fish bowl and ornate stand (with ferns, obviously)

First a little history: Many thousands of years ago in China, some one noticed that the normally grey carp had a habit of throwing out the occasional yellow or orange mutation.  With careful breeding, there began a fashion for outdoor pools with these orange or 'golden' fish.  In the Tang dynasty (618-907), people began to bring bowls of these decorative fish indoors when hosting parties, but they were mostly kept in the garden.  During the Song dynasty (960-1279) it became illegal for anyone outside the imperial family to have a golden fish as yellow was the imperial colour. Finally it was during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) that the fish were brought indoors which enabled very decorative fish to be bred which otherwise might not have survived outdoors.  During the seventeenth century, goldfish made their way to Portugal, thence through to the rest of Europe.  Their golden scales made them a token of good luck and it was traditional for husbands to give them to their wives as a first anniversary present.  Goldfish fortunes fell when they became commonplace but the Victorians, with their love of all things Oriental and exotic, coupled with their ability to make overly ornate stands, fell in love once more with our little golden friends...

Water Pets (1874) Lawrence Alma Tadema

Right, where to start, because painting a glass bowl filled with water and fish is indeed a feat of skill and people like to show off.  Alma Tadema went for the classical angle although we have no proof that anyone classical had goldfish, unless that very European lady was visiting Ancient China via Greece.  Mind you, he's not the only one to lob some goldfish into drape-y art...

Classical Maiden with Goldfish Oliver Rhys

Obviously in Classical Times it was popular to go to the Classical Fair and win a Classical Goldfish.  Forgive me for saying so but there are levels of oddness going on in that household that I don't quite understand.  Firstly, who made that fish bowl stand?  It must be the most rubbish one I have ever seen as what is the point?  That's too low to be of any help with anything.  I bet someone's child made that in woodwork class and now the parent feel obliged to use it.  Also why is our Classical Maiden poking her fish with a stick? That family needs sorting out.

Goldfish (1893) William Stephen Coleman

Now that is a better height for a bowl and the small stand makes a bit more sense.  This 'exotic'  image is from the 1893 Pears Annual but where it is set is anyone's guess - is it Turkish? Is it Africa? Arabia?  Clacton-on-Sea? Colour me puzzled, but Mr Coleman obviously enjoyed the challenge of the goldfish bowl as he did it again...

Children at the Marble Pond

Not hygienic.

And again...

The Goldfish Bowl

Goldfish obviously meant 'exotically ancient' to William Stephen Coleman and little girls and goldfish went together like bread and butter.  Maybe it was the brief life of the fish (especially if you let your tweenager wade about in the pond) that echoed the briefness of childhood innocence, or the fragile beauty of them both, or possibly their ability to forget the thing you told them ten seconds ago (she says, from experience).  Whatever the case, his pictures are clear, bright and very, very commercial.

The Goldfish Seller George Dunlop Leslie

This is one of my favourite goldfish related pictures as Leslie does such charming scenes without them being too overly Millais-sickly.  His picture is a rarity as it has an actual man present!  Why goldfish were particularly a woman/child thing is unclear: Are women beautiful? Useless?  Confined to a very small bowl? Anyway, I never really thought how the goldfish got into the Victorian home, but according to this image, a nice looking man came round with a bag full of glass bowls.  The logistics of this seem a little fuzzy, so we'll just draw a veil.

When I used to live in Yorkshire, we used to drive past a village called Tingley.  The fish shop was called 'Tingley Tropicals' but the 'r' had fallen off so it apparently sold 'Topical' fish. That always amused me. Moving on...

Young Lady with Fish Bowl Victor Marais Milton

The depiction of goldfish in the Victorian domestic interior seems to have been a mark of the fashionable and aesthetic.  For all intents and purposes, Milton shows us a standard Victorian home but in the middle is a massive trifle bowl filled with fish, and a gauzy woman.  They seems to have been transported from another picture, presumably one with lots of tiles and a fan made of ostrich feathers.  However, here we are in a mid-century French home with a naughty French lady and her bottom.  I'm going to guess that she is someone's mistress and her purpose is merely decorative, like the fish.  Unless it is a French custom to feed your fish wrapped in a bit of muslin?

Girl in a Blue Kimono (1911) Robert Reid Lewis

Having the fish might have been an extension to the fashion for all things Chinese and Japanese (and everybody-wash-your-knees, as they say in the film Topsy Turvy).  This young Edwardian lady tends her fish in front of her Japanese screen, wearing her Kimono.  I could easily launch into a discussion here about cultural appropriation (as I did in this post) but we won't get into that now.  I do however find that sort of cultural 'loading' in a picture a bit odd, as I do in real life.  Does the woman feel very 'Japanese' by wearing her kimono in front of her screen while tending her goldfish and chrysanthemums? I enjoy a baguette as much as the next person but I've never imagined myself French, nor worn a beret while eating it.

Lady with Japanese Screen and Goldfish (1886) James Cadenhead

The lady in the above image is Mr Cadenhead's mum and she appears to be embroidering flowers (either daffodils or something more exotic) in a lovely sunshine-y spot.  Mummy Cadenhead doesn't seem to be wearing one of those 'big foreign dressing gowns' and is sticking with her very nice mourning dress, thank you very much.  And there is not enough room on her side table for her silks and those daffs and that enormous fish bowl.  She has the look of a woman who is saying 'I have things to be getting on with you know!'

The Goldfish Bowl (1870) Charles Perugini

The bulk of the images I found concerned women gazing into their goldfish bowls deep in thought (which in itself is an irony, if you consider the most common belief of goldfish).  Perugini's lady is wandering about with her bowl which seems an awful effort considering it is rather heavy, liable to spill and surely she has servants for that sort of thing?  She has the sleeves of a woman who has servants.

Lady with a Goldfish Bowl Julian Russell Story

Here we have another woman carrying her goldfish about. I am intriged by her belt and what that has to say about her.  She does appear to be wearing an apron so maybe she's a servant but the title is lady with a goldfish bowl, rather than 'woman'.

An Idle Moment (1885) Alexander John White

The most sensible way to enjoy your fish is to sit down and stare at them.  Firstly, the fish would appreciate the lack of danger of being smashed, sloshed out or generally swished around, and the artist can make everyone look peaceful and contemplative.

The Goldfish (1911) Charles Curran

Unlike White's rather dull brown home and owner above, Curran shows a far more glamorous girl, admiring her glittery fish as she eats grapes.  Although White uses the word 'idle' in his title, it seems far more suitable for Curran's home of riches, where you get a big soft pillow and some nibbles. Lovely.

The Goldfish Bowl (1907) Albert Henry Collings

We return, in conclusion, to nakedness.  Although a very beautiful picture, I can't think that placing your bowl on top of the round-lidded chest, on top of a slippery scarf is the most sensible move, especially when you are mostly naked. Despite ringing a number of Health and Safety bells, the contrast of the midnight blue, the alabaster skin and the tiny orange fish is exquisite. the length of her limbs, holding the shining globe seems to foreshadow Art Deco in a subtle way, and I love how her hair is echoed in the golden tiles of the chest and the embroidery on the pillow.  Heavenly.

I have lots and lots more goldfish ladies and so I'll post them on my Facebook page.  If you are over on Facebook, feel free to join me on my author page where I post lots of Victorian silliness for your amusement. See you there!

Behind the Mask

A wise friend of mine once said that the internet acts as a mask; we can be whoever we want to be, project whatever image we wish and be a carefully constructed person who may or may not bear any relevance to the person we actually are. There is a freedom in such a barrier, the ability to think about every word you say, every opinion you give, even down to the pictures you post.  All that others see of you is exactly what you want them to see. All this got me thinking about Victorian imagery of  disguises...

Portia (1887) Henry Woods

Shakespeare is riddled with people in disguise.  Portia from The Merchant of Venice dresses as a chap to become an apprentice to a lawyer.  She adopts the disguise in order to be free to behave in a way she would not be able to as a woman, and roles reverse even more dramatically when Portia saves a man's life. She moves from passive to active, all because of her disguise.

Valentine Rescuing Sylvia from Proteus (1851) William Homan Hunt

Julia from Two Gentlemen of Verona doesn't fare so well.  She adopts the disguise of a page in order to keep an eye on  her feckless lover Proteus.  It is as a man she discovers what a waste of space he is as he attempts to rape Sylvia.  When Julia faints from the horror of it all, Proteus remembers that he actually loves her and they end up married.  What a catch. I think she was better off being a chap.

The Little Foot Page (1905) Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale

Similarly, one of EFB's most famous paintings is of Burd Helen, disguising herself as a foot page to her rubbish lover.  What is wrong with girls? Here is our heroine hacking off her lovely hair as apparently that's how you can tell boys from girls.  That is exactly the answer my daughter gave me the other day when I asked her if she knew the difference between boys and girls.  She's nine so at least she has an excuse.

Alfred the Saxon King Disguised as a Minstrel... (1852) Daniel Maclise

This painting always makes me smile as it was in the book of plates I was given for my first university course featuring Pre-Raphaelite art.  I also think Alfred is disguised as a shiny round chocolate when I hear 'disguised as a minstrel'.  Possibly there is a difference in the reasons  why men and women disguise themselves.  Women disguise themselves to spy on their useless menfolk or save useless menfolk.  Alfred is on a covert mission which involves looking shifty with a harp, like a sinister busker.  His reasons for disguise are obviously far more important than checking up on his girlfriend.

How the Devil... (1907) Frank Cadogan Cowper

Bonkers title of the week goes to this gem, entitled (deep breath) How the Devil, Disguised as a Vagrant Troupadour, Having been Entertained by some Charitable Nuns, Sang to them a Song of Love. Well, that's a corker.  Standing on the refectory table, the devil has gained entry to the nunnery, playing on the charity of the women.  In return he sings a song that reminds them what they are missing.  Some nuns are happy, some are sad, some angry, jealous, wistful and so on.  Every emotion possible has flooded what was formerly a peaceful place.  He is temptation, a reminder of more fleshly concerns, reminding you of what you can't have. Through kindness the nuns have let in a seemingly benign thing which holds the secret to their unease, to the destruction of their peace of mind.

I particularly like this picture as it seems very current and relevant to my opening remarks.  I am reminded of an episode of a television programme called 'Catfish' where a girl had been welcomed into a group of online friends and had made it her fun to drive wedges between them by using fears and rumours. It seems a terrible shame when kindness extended to strangers can mean letting in someone whose purpose nefarious.  However looking at the nuns in the image above, not everyone is driven to painful distraction by the tempting song.  Some remember their strength, smile and move on.

Girl with a Mask Henry Nelson O'Neil

So much for full disguise. More common in Victorian art is the mask. Often shown with richly dressed young women off to balls, the black silk mask is seen as both a harmless accessory but also an alter ego.  This peachy-skinned beauty looks blameless but the mask gives a hint of something else.  What does she need it for?  What will it enable her to do?

Woman with a Mask (1908) Lovis Corinth

If my dress was as low cut as this I think I might wear a mask too. There is a hint of sexual freedom in the mask, the masquerade.  You can become a person not bound by society's rules, the mask almost making it compulsory to misbehave and be helped back into your frock with some serving spoons.

At the Masquerade Charles Hermans

Such masked events, no matter how posh, seem to be a cross between a circus and an orgy, taking on an almost nightmarish quality. People view and are viewed, everyone is anonymous and the addition of costumes lends an air of unreality to such gatherings.  You are able to get away with anything as none of this is real, none of it matters.  However badly you behave in this space it doesn't matter as you are not you and no-one else is real either.  Possibly that is how some people see the internet, one giant masquerade ball.

Masked Figures William Orpen

The problem with feeling comfortable behind your disguise is that you don't know how many others are in disguise.  In the confines of a masked ball it is quite obvious that you are all playing by the same rules, it's understood that you are all masked.  However here on line the person you are talking to may or may not be who you think they are and likewise, you may not be the person they think you are.  I have some very dear friends here on line who I have known for years without ever meeting.  It is a matter of trust between us that we are who we say we are.  I often joke that I am really a co-operative of gerbils, using our little paws to type the posts, although that is now proved untrue by the video of me online. How very unmysterious of me.  Sigh.

Cupid at the Masked Ball Franz Stuck

Like the devil in Cowper's picture, you can never know what or who is lurking behind the disguise.  Sometimes people hide themselves because they are the devil, but sometimes it might be because they are goodness, love.  There is no reason for Cupid to be disguised, but he is playing by our rules seeing as we insist on subterfuge.  In a play on 'love is blind', Cupid is waiting to create love between people who are not being themselves. Lord knows who you are falling in love with, but isn't that always the way?

Choosing a mask Charles Ricketts

It is inevitable that we all don masks on line to some extent or another because we all consciously or unconsciously project a persona that we think others will find interesting or attractive. Some of us put on a mask of mischief or argument in order to get attention that way. Some are flatterers, adorers, the most pleasant company imaginable.  All are aspects of who we are as people in real life.  How much the mask conceals or reflects us is something that others have to discover.

I know a Maiden Fair to see, Take Care Charles Perugini

Online, none of us appear to be wearing masks and that is the problem, like with Perugini's beautiful girl above.  This post was inspired by an incident on line recently of disguise and mischief, of certain people using the anonymity of the internet to bully privately while smiling publically.  As I am sure you are all thoroughly lovely people, here are some simple ways of protecting yourself against the ne'er-do-wells and trolls:

• Be sure of whom you are friending online.  Do they know your friends, does anyone know them in person, how complete is their Facebook page?  These things are very important if you have had any trouble in the past.
• Google search their profile picture - sounds crazy but can give you an immediate idea if they are being untruthful.  Right-click on their image, copy it and go to Google images.  There should be a little camera icon in the search bar.  Press that and paste in the image.  A search with that will show you if their picture is already being used on line by anyone else.
• Do not be afraid to tell others if you are being bullied and don't be afraid to block. Most social networks have that option, you just need to look.

I have been the recipient of some unpleasant online behaviour and so if you need advice or just want to talk to someone, my email is on the side bar. Stay safe out there and use your mask responsibly...