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An Old Woman Spinning

Margaret Sarah Carpenter (1793-1872)

c.1816

Oil on canvas

H 76.2 x W 66.1 cm

Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, accession no. 512-1870

Bequeathed by John M. Parsons, 1870

Image © Victoria and Albert Museum, downloaded via Art UK with thanks, for the purpose of non-commercial research. [Click on the image to enlarge it.] See below for commentary, and mouse over the text for links.

The old woman peers out from her under her black brimmed bonnet with a kindly interested expression, and her reddish-brown cape gives a touch of warmth to her quite elaborately worked, patterned and tied bodice. She is lit by a soft golden light as she glances away from her spinning, as if she is listening to a companion — the artist herself, perhaps. Carpenter already shows, in this early painting, the qualities for which she would later be noted: an appreciation of the sitter's individuality which is not at all dependent on conventional ideas of beauty, and patience and skill in conveying it to others. — Jacqueline Banerjee

Bibliography

An Old Woman Spinning. Art UK. Web. 19 October 2024.

Created 19 October 2024