Drawing

This is one of three pencil drawings by Edward Clifford in the V&A Wedgwood Collection. It shows Emily Catherine Wedgwood, née Rendel (1840-1921).

All three portraits show the name inscribed in the top left corner. The choice of a serifed font and the full stop at the end of the name connect them with a group of preparatory drawings that Hans Holbein the Younger made of the Tudor court in the early 16th century. The Holbein drawings became very popular during the 19th century when improved printing technology made them more accessible. The three Wedgwood portraits closely parallel the Tudor examples and show a similar dynastic connotation.