Emma Brownlow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emma Brownlow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 28 September 1832 |
| Died | 1 January 1905 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | painter |
| Spouse | Donald King |
Emma Brownlow (28 September 1832 – 1 January 1905) was a Victorian era artist who is best known for her paintings depicting scenes from life at the Foundling Hospital in London.
Emma was the youngest child of Johanna (born Parker) and John Brownlow, a foundling who had been a foundling brought up in the Foundling Hospital. He had started work as a clerk aged 14 and he had risen within the institution to become its director.[1]
John Brownlow had written several books about the institution, and a novel Hans Sloane (1831). The novel was an influence on Charles Dickens's later novel Oliver Twist, and its author is believed to be the model for the character Mr. Brownlow.[2] Dickens was a friend of the Brownlow family.[2]
Emma became an artist, producing a series of paintings in the 1850s and 1860s depicting scenes from life at the hospital.[3] She also painted portraits and genre subjects. She exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Her most notable painting was The Foundling Restored to its Mother, exhibited at the RA in 1858.[4]
She met the man she would marry, Donald King, through her involvement with the Hospital choir. King was a professional singer. Emma died 1 January 1905 in Kent. She was buried with her daughter Marian Brownlow King on the Isle of Wight, UK.
