Bill Brandt
Parlourmaid Preparing a Bath before Dinner

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Artist Bill Brandt (British, born Germany, 1904–1983)British, born Germany, 1904–1983

CultureBritish

Titles

Parlourmaid Preparing a Bath before Dinner

Datec. 1937

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 9 5/8 × 7 5/8 in. (24.4 × 19.4 cm)
Sheet: 9 3/4 × 7 3/4 in. (24.8 × 19.7 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Mundy Companies

Object number85.109

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionIn the 1930s, Brandt focused his lens on life in Britain. His first extended project, published in 1936 as The English At Home, looked at the class structure of English society, contrasting wealthy and poor subjects. His second book, A Night in London, from 1938, also moved between social classes while serving as homage to his contemporary Brassaï’s influential book Paris de Nuit (1933). Influenced by Cherry Stones, an illustrated children’s book from his childhood that categorized people into distinct social types (the tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, and so forth) spelled out by a children’s rhyme, Brandt sought to depict an array of different English people going about their lives. This focus aligned well with the story structure of British picture magazines that he worked for, such as Weekly Illustrated, Picture Post, and Lilliput, which followed a day in the life of various individuals. Later in life, Brandt acknowledged that he sometimes staged scenes using friends and family when he could not find the type he was looking for. The subject of this photograph blurs that distinction; Pratt, his uncle’s parlor maid, was a particular favorite of the photographer, and he featured her in a day-in-the-life essay called “The Perfect Parlourmaid” for Picture Post in 1938.
Provenance[Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1985.
Exhibition History"Evocative Presence: Twentieth Century photographs in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston February 27 - May 1, 1988

"A Love Affair with Pictures: 25 Years of Collecting Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," MFAH, Lower Jones and Masterson Galleries, October 14 - December 30, 2001.

"Photographs by Bill Brandt: A Sense of Wonder," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Cameron Gallery, February 2-April 27, 2008.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

verso upper left in pencil: J.W., lower center in pencil: Preparing / the evening / bath

verso center two stamps[one duplicated]: PHOTO BILL BRANDT / 58, HILLFIELD COURT / BELSIZE AVENUE / LONDON, N.W.3. / PHOTO BILL BRANDT

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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