Decorative object: Dressing table mirror with Jenny Lind figures
1850 – 1870 (Date manufactured/created)
Decorative Arts
23 in H
X
12 in W
Painted, cast iron dressing mirror that features two Jenny Lind figures and the American flag. Jenny Lind was an internationally famous opera singer ("The Swedish Nightingale"), whom Barnum brought to America in 1850. Her popularity was so great that innumerable consumer products were made in association with her name or image; this romantically styled mirror is one example, reflecting Lind's "angelic" voice and generous, philanthropic nature. The oval mirror, with its painted gold frame, swivels from points on either side of the base frame, where the female figures appear to support the mirror as if they were holding up a large wreath. Above the shell and acanthus leaf "feet" of the base there is a central obelisk (monument shape) with an American flag to the left, and a shield with arrows and an olive branch to the right. Two branches with pendant leaves, probably willow branches, sprout from the top of the obelisk. The figures are shown in the fashionable dress of the 1850s: full, round skirts with triple flounces (deep ruffles), a bodice (fitted top) with a wide neckline, and hair pulled smoothly back to form a low chignon or "bun" at the neck. Two cherubs, holding up a green wreath, are perched atop the mirror. Other surviving examples of this mirror show a variety of paint choices from all-white and all-gold to "patriotic" and bright color schemes, as well as different ornaments in place of the cherubs, or no top ornament at all. For example, a version probably made for the Canadian market features a beaver and maple leaf at the top, though it retains the American flag.
Jenny Lind (October 6, 1820 - November 2,1887) was a Swedish opera singer, popularly known as The Swedish Nightingale. The exceptional quality of her voice was recognized when she was young, and she received training at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. She was a coloratura soprano. She reached high acclaim in Europe, and eventually P.T. Barnum engaged her for a tour of America in 1850-1851. Lind, previously unknown in the United States since few people were familiar with opera, was heavily promoted by Barnum months in advance of her arrival, creating an insatiable demand for concert tickets. Halfway through the grueling tour schedule, Lind married Otto Goldschmidt, who replaced her previous pianist. The couple had three children. Lind became a professor of singing at the Royal College of Music in London. She is buried at the Great Malvern Cemetery in Malvern, Worcestershire, England.
Jenny Lind (October 6, 1820 - November 2,1887) was a Swedish opera singer, popularly known as The Swedish Nightingale. The exceptional quality of her voice was recognized when she was young, and she received training at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. She was a coloratura soprano. She reached high acclaim in Europe, and eventually P.T. Barnum engaged her for a tour of America in 1850-1851. Lind, previously unknown in the United States since few people were familiar with opera, was heavily promoted by Barnum months in advance of her arrival, creating an insatiable demand for concert tickets. Halfway through the grueling tour schedule, Lind married Otto Goldschmidt, who replaced her previous pianist. The couple had three children. Lind became a professor of singing at the Royal College of Music in London. She is buried at the Great Malvern Cemetery in Malvern, Worcestershire, England.
T 2015.054.001