[Sculptures of Sabrina, an Allegorical Figure of Morning, a Nereide, and Eve Listening]

Art Historical Context

Philip Henry Delamotte's *Sculptures of, an Allegorical Figure Morning, a Nereide, and Eve Listening*ca. 1859) captures four graceful female figures from classical mythology and biblical lore. Sabrina, the nymph from John Milton's *Comus*, glides alongside a radiant embodiment of dawn, a sea-dwelling Nereid, and Eve in a moment of attentive repose. These small albumen silver prints (each 7.9 x 8.1 cm) showcase Delamotte's skill in documenting sculpture, likely from a Victorian-era exhibition, highlighting the era's fascination with idealized female nudes inspired by antiquity. Produced via glass negatives, the albumen process—pegging paper with egg whites and silver salts—yielded rich tones and fine detail, revolutionizing 19th-century photography. Delamotte, a pioneering British photographer, specialized in architectural and sculptural records, preserving ephemeral displays like those at the Crystal Palace for posterity. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, these intimate images bridge photography's technical birth with classical revivalism, inviting viewers to ponder the timeless allure of the female form in marble and myth. A window into mid-Victorian tastes, they remind us how early photos immortalized art that might otherwise fade from view.

About the Artist

Philip Henry Delamotte · 1820–1889

Delamotte was primarily an illustrator, but he also offered his services to artists as a photographer and photography teacher. His most famous students were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. British photographer.