How one of the richest artists of the 19th century nearly ruined his grandson's reputation: Millet's Bubbles

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Soap Bubbles is an 1886 painting by John Everett Millais that became famous for its use in soap advertising. At first glance, an unremarkable picture hides deep philosophical meanings, and the artist was later accused of selling his talent.

About the artist

Sir John Everett Millais was an English painter, illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The Fellowship was founded at his family home in London at 83 Gower Street (now number 7). The strong personality of the artist's mother had the most significant influence on his future. With a keen interest in art and music, the woman encouraged her son's creativity, helping her family move to London. Subsequently, she made contacts to help her son enter the Royal Academy of Arts. Millet was a child prodigy who, at the age of 11, became the academy's youngest student. There he met William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, with whom he founded the Brotherhood.

However, by the mid-1850s, Millet had moved away from the Pre-Raphaelite style to develop a new form of realism in art. His later works were extremely successful, making Millet one of the richest artists of his time. At the time of writing his most famous work with bubbles, Millet was in his fifties and abandoned the Pre-Raphaelite style by darkening his palette and using a softer brush.

The plot of the picture

The work "Soap Bubbles" was written in the years 1885-1856. The painting was one of Millet's many children's portraits. It depicts a boy blowing bubbles with a pipe and soap suds. The boy was the artist's grandson, Willie James. At the time of this painting, he was about 4 years old. Subsequently, the boy became an admiral. In order to depict the bubbles as realistically as possible, Millet used a specially made glass ball. In the process of painting, Millet hung it over the child's head and moved it as a guide to determine the best position of the bubble on the canvas. Initially, Millais called his painting Children's World, but later it was replaced by Bubbles.

The deep meanings of the picture

At first glance, this is an ordinary child's portrait with an unremarkable plot, but if you delve into the history, you can find out that the basis of the plot was the vanitas genre, popular in the 17th century, in which a soap bubble symbolized the fleetingness of life. A frequent plot in this genre was the image of young guys blowing bubbles, usually against the background of skulls. The painting depicts a small red-haired boy looking at a bubble he has inflated. In this context, it is an attribute of the beauty and fragility of life. There are other significant details in the painting: on the right side of the canvas - a young plant growing in a pot - this is a symbol of life, and on the other side - a fallen broken pot, symbolizing the fragility and futility of life (death). The little hero stands out in contrast on the canvas, his face, hands and a basin for bubbles are brightly lit.

The first publication and the further fate of the picture

The painting was first exhibited in 1886 under the title "Children's World" at the Grosvenor Gallery in London. The work was acquired by Sir William Ingram of The Illustrated London News, who wished to reproduce it in his newspaper. When the first issue of the picture was released, the newspaper was seen by Thomas J. Barratt, managing director of A&F Pears.

Pears Transparent Soap is one of the oldest soap companies and the world's first registered brand according to Unilever. It is also the first company to launch clear soap. Thomas James Barratt bought the original painting from Ingram for £ 2,200, giving him exclusive copyright to the painting. A reproduction of the painting Soap Bubbles by John Everett Millais became the most famous soap advertisement. The painting was purchased by Thomas Barratt in August 1890.

The copyright was needed in order to make changes to the picture. In particular, a bar of soap was added for use in an advertising campaign. At the time, Millet was one of the most popular artists in the UK. Therefore, the dubious prospect of a marketing artist worried Millet, and his grandson became the object of commercial exploitation (which was also not to the artist's liking). Many said at the time that the artist had sold his talent. Critics argued that this had a humiliating effect on the painting and the future reputation of the master. Millet even had to defend himself against their attacks when he was subjected to unfair criticism from representatives of the artistic establishment, who believed that he humiliated his art. Advertising turned out to be so popular that the little hero of the picture - William James, who became admiral of the Royal Navy, was known until the end of his life by the nickname "Bubbles" Admiral Bubbles.

Thus, the famous "Bubbles" played a double role for John Millet. Of course, the painting gave the artist laurels of success and fame, gave him wealth and provided him for many years. On the other hand, by transferring the rights to the painting to an advertising agency, the artist damaged his reputation and that of his grandson.