In Focus: The Singer exhibited 1889 and Applause 1893 by Edward Onslow Ford (2013)

Research carried out by Professor Jason Edwards (University of York) as part of the History of Art Department’s partnership with Tate gave rise to the first online publication in Tate’s In Focus series in 2013: The Singer exhibited 1889 and Applause 1893 by Edward Onslow Ford, authored by Professor Edwards with contributions from Dr Neal Spencer (Keeper, Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, the British Museum) and Dr Pip Laurenson (Head of Collection Care Research, Tate).

This In Focus project considers how Edward Onslow Ford’s bronze statuettes The Singer and Applause ‘function as a pair and explores the context of their making and reception in late Victorian Britain. It highlights the sensitivities surrounding the representation of the female adolescent body at a time when the age of consent had only recently been raised to sixteen. It also examines the contemporary enthusiasm for ancient Egypt and provides the first translations of some of the hieroglyphs found on the decorative bases of the two works.’ (see the article's introduction)  )

Read an interview with Professor Edwards about the project by Head of Collection Research and In Focus series editor Dr Jennifer Mundy.

Edward Onslow Ford, The Singer, exhibited 1889, bronze, coloured resin paste and semi-precious stones (Photographic Rights © Tate (2016) Available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported) licence http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ford-the-singer-n01753)

Edward Onslow Ford, Applause, 1893, bronze, silver, enamel and semi-precious stones (Photographic Rights © Tate (2016) Available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported) licence http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ford-applause-t12622)