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Sir James Pennethorne's office building (the 'junction') in 1863, after the erection behind it of the Residences

Anthony Carey Stannus

1863

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Sir James Pennethorne's office building (the 'junction') in 1863, after the erection behind it of the Residences is a 1863 watercolor by Anthony Carey Stannus, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Anthony Carey Stannus
When & what style?: 1863 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This watercolour from 1863 shows a busy spot at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It’s the ‘Junction’ building, designed by James Pennethorne. This small office block linked older and newer parts of the museum site. The building was already too small by 1860. The museum’s first director called the space “packed as close as pigs.” That tells you how tight things were back then. Look next at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The watercolour depicts Pennethorne’s single-storey brick ‘Junction’ building, designed to connect the museum’s temporary structures, with a pitched roof, sash windows, and a centrally placed doorway flanked by a projecting wing featuring a round-headed niche and window. Behind it rises the Residences range, its upper storey marked by pilasters and paired rectangular windows. Large trees partially obscure the foreground of the composition. The work was painted by Anthony Carey Stannus in 1863.

Read the full account in the museum source.