Bustling Along

Bustles had their fashion hey-day from the 1870s through to the late 1880s by when they were slimmed-down to a more manageable style as worn by the stylish lady in this profile. Promenading with her umbrella, she wears a jacker edged with fur and a fashionably tall hat secured with ribbon under her chin.

The silhouette is cut out and bronzed. Although unsigned, it can be attributed to Benjamin Pearce the Younger. It is set in a maple veneer frame with a gilt slip.

Born in Dover in 1832, Pearce followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming an artist describing his occupation on census returns variously as Artist (1861), Photographic Artist (1871), and Portrait Artist (1891). His photography business named Pearce’s Portraits was located in Torquay during the 1880s. In addition to photographs, he also offered oil portraits handsomely framed. In 1868 Pearce married 31-year-old Anne Morrell as her third husband and with her had two daughters, Lucy and Katie. Pearce died in April 1908 and was buried at Margravine Cemetery in Hammersmith.