Saturday, April 30, 2011

Painting of the Day: “The Wedding Morning,” 1892

The Wedding Morning
John Henry F. Bacon, 1892
The Lady Lever Art Gallery
Here’s another painting purchased by Liverpool soap magnate Lord Levehulme to be used as an advertisement for his soap. Aside from its marketing appeal, it’s also a lovely work of art by John Henry Frederick Bacon. It was first displayed at the Royal Academy in 1892 where it was immediately purchased by Lord Leverhulme. Critics, while calling the painting “overly sentimental,” praised Bacon’s rendering of light, calling it an essay in lighting.

When Leverhulme reproduced the painting for his advertising, he had the clock on the mantel replaced with a box of his soap. Afterwards, he presented this lovely bridal seen to his wife and it remains in the Lady Lever Art Gallery to this day.

No comments: