V&A Museum

Monday, June 18, 2018

Diversity and the ability to make a lasting impression are two qualities any museum should strive to possess; and the V&A Museum hit those two qualities square on the head. Portraits, sculptures, ancient drinking vessels, rugs, costumes, and sculptures were just a few items on the list of art that can be seen at the V&A Museum. A passion of mine outside of school is fashion, which is one of the reasons why this museum was so memorable to me. One of the costumes from the 1940s called “Utility coat, suit and blouse Elspeth Champcommunal for Worth” was one of my favorites. It was a very vintage and classic look that Nancy Drew definitely would have had in her closet.

An online blog called Culcavilap, which reflects on the fashion at the V&A museum, describes this outfit as “androgynous because it resembles a man’s wool coat, and is not as feminine as other styles women wore.” Back home in the United States, I thrift shop quite often, and I tend to look for more masculine clothes with a touch of femininity, which is why this timeless business outfit caught my eye.
Within the hallway of stone sculptures, the sculpture titled “Eve Listening to the Voice of Adam” was also a favorite piece of art of mine because of its exquisite detail, also because it was fun to imitate. The artist behind this work is Edward Hodges Baily, and he signed and dated this piece in 1842. According to the Tate Britain website, Baily was a sculptor born in Bristol and worked during the time of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.

Eve, the woman in this piece, is taken from the book of Genesis in the bible, and was also the first woman created after Adam. But, the inspiration for this piece was actually “Milton’s poem, Paradise Lost, in which Eve sits beside a lake in the Garden of Eden and describes to Adam ‘a shape within the watery gleam’. Adam warns her that this is her own reflection” (V&A Museum plaque). This explanation of the sculpture is so humbling because it shows how child-like and innocent the first humans were. This sculpture is a reminder of how naïve we all are as people, but God loves us despite it all. The class then ended the day in the V&A Museum’s heavenly quart yard in which I enjoyed my human innocence by playing in the oasis with children speaking in various languages.

-Hannah L. Brown

“Edward Hodges Baily.” tate.org.uk. Tate Britain. Web. 27 June 2018.

“Eve Listening to the Voice of Adam.” collections.vam.ac.uk. V&A Museum. 27 June 2018. Web 27 June 2018. 

Vila, Priscilla. “Fashion Exhibit at V&A.” culcavilap.wordpress.com. 24 October       2014. Web.  27 June 2018.