Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BLIND NYDIA

Date Range From

1880

Date Range To

1886

Materials

PAPER, MATTE, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Length

49.5

Width

30.5

Description

DEPICTS BLIND GIRL IN ROBES, CARRYING PLATTER OF FLOWERS; MALE BUST IN BACKGROUND. MOUNTED BEHIND WHITE MATTE. TITLED BLIND NYDIA. FRAMED. WOOD FRAME SOMEWHAT MARRED. SEE CONSERVATION REPORT.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

"NYDIA BLIND FLOWER GIRL & A HEROINE, TAKEN FROM SIR B. LYTTON'S WORK: "THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII" "GIFT OF SIR ALEXANDER GALT-1886". FOR INFORMATION ON CONSTRUCTION OF WILLIAM STAFFORD’S RANCH HOUSE, COLLECTED VIA AN INTERVIEW WITH STAFFORD GRANDSON MR. CAM PEAT, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILES OF P19693787000 OR P19694000000. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. SHE INTERVIEWED CAMPBELL PEAT (SON OF NORMAN BONNER AND ANNIE STAFFORD PEAT, AND RETIRED LOCAL REAL ESTATE BROKER, FARMER, AND SUSTAINABLE HOME-BUILDER), WHO DONATED THIS PRINT AND P19738547000 TO THE GALT MUSEUM IN HIS MOTHER'S NAME. PEAT SAID: “I GREW UP WITH THESE PICTURES. THEY ARE AS FAMILIAR TO ME AS MY WRIST WATCH… THEY WERE IN OUR HOUSE AT 422 – 12TH STREET SOUTH WHICH IS THE SITE OF STAFFORD PLACE… AND THE HOUSE WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY GRANDMOTHER [JANE] STAFFORD AND IT WAS HER THIRD HOUSE AFTER SHE MOVED UP FROM THE RANCH AFTER THE FLOOD… MY MOTHER AND FATHER TOOK THAT HOUSE OVER, BOUGHT IT FROM [JANE STAFFORD’S] ESTATE, AND I GREW UP IN THERE. I WAS 4 OR 5 YEARS OLD WHEN WE MOVED IN… IT WAS A TWO STOREY HOUSE WITH A STAIRWELL. THIS [P19738514000] WAS ON ONE SIDE OF THE STAIRWELL AND THE HORSE [P19738547000] WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE… THEY WERE GRANDMOTHER’S PICTURES… THIS ONE WAS OBVIOUSLY AN ARAB SHEIK. WE USED TO CALL HIM LAWRENCE OF ARABIA… I DON’T KNOW THE STORY ON HIM BUT HE WAS THERE FOR A LONG, LONG TIME… I SUSPECT THESE TWO WERE GIFTS GIVEN TO MY GRANDMOTHER OVER THE YEARS… MY GRANDMOTHER RECEIVED MANY, MANY GIFTS FROM EARLY LETHBRIDGE RESIDENTS, [INCLUDING] PRESBYTERIAN MC KILLOP, AND MAYOR MAGRATH, BOLTON MAGRATH, ETC., IT GOES ON… I’M PRETTY SURE [THESE PRINTS] WERE GIFTS BECAUSE THAT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE SOMETHING MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD BUY… THE NOTE [PRESENT IN THE DONATION PAPERWORK, THAT DESCRIBES THE PRINTS AS GIFTS FROM SIR ALEXANDER GALT] - I’M NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT. I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN IT [AT THE TIME OF DONATION] BECAUSE I’VE CORRECTED THE NOTE [TODAY]... THE PICTURES WERE [BROUGHT] HERE WHEN WE CAME OUT TO THIS HOUSE [611 28TH ST B SOUTH] IN ’58 AND THE PICTURES SAT DOWN IN THE BASEMENT UNTIL I GOT AROUND TO RENOVATING IT AND THAT’S WHEN I SENT THEM DOWN TO THE GALT MUSEUM.” INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF THIS PRINT, "BLIND NYDIA", WAS FOUND ON THE AMERICAN NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART WEBSITE AND THE BOOK 'THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII' BY EDWARD GEORGE BULWER-LYTTON. NYDIA WAS A CHARACTER IN BULWER-LYTTON'S NOVEL, WHICH WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1834. SHE WAS A BLIND FLOWER SELLER, ENTANGLED IN A LOVE TRIANGLE AND CAUGHT IN POMPEII DURING THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS. DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA, THE PUBLIC WAS HIGHLY INTERESTED IN THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII (THE SITE WAS UNEARTHED AND OPENED TO TOURISM IN THE LATE 18TH CENTURY). A KEY CHARACTER IN BULWER-LYTTON'S FICTIONAL INTERPRETATION OF THE HISTORICAL EVENTS AT POMPEII, NYDIA'S ROMANTIC AND TRAGIC END INSPIRED MANY 19TH CENTURY PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES. THIS SPECIFIC PRINT IS A PHOTOENGRAVING TAKEN FROM A PAINTING BY GERMAN ARTIST CARL VON BODENHAUSEN (1852 - 1931). FOR HARDCOPIES OF BOTH THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND ONLINE SOURCE MATERIAL, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19738514000

Acquisition Date

1973-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail