Alice Liddell; Ina Liddell; Harry Liddell; Edith Mary Liddell
- Artist: Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)
- Date: 1860
- Medium: albumen print
- Dimensions: 5 3/4 in. x 7 3/8 in. (145 mm x 188 mm) uneven
- Portrays: Alice Pleasance Liddell, Edith Mary Liddell, Edward Henry ('Harry') Liddell, Lorina Charlotte ('Ina') Liddell
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In this albumen print from Spring 1860, four Liddell children stand side by side. On the left sits Alice Pleasance Liddell (1852‑1934), then her sister Lorina Charlotte “Ina” (1849‑1930), followed by brother Edward Henry “Harry” (1847‑1911) and finally Edith Mary (1854‑1876). Each child wears the soft, muted clothing of the era—silk gowns for the girls and a frock coat for Harry. The print’s dimensions are 5 3⁄4 in. × 7 3⁄8 in., about 145 mm by 188 mm.
Lewis Carroll, who later wrote *Alice in Wonderland*, was also an amateur photographer. While lecturing at Christ Church College he befriended the Liddell family and regularly photographed their children. This portrait shows those same moments of camaraderie that inspired his tales; Alice became the title character, while Ina and Edith fed the names for Eaglet and Lory in the book.
Albumen printing was an early photographic process that offered fine tonal range and crisp detail—exactly what we see here in the soft skin tones and delicate folds.
See it in person
Alice Liddell; Ina Liddell; Harry Liddell; Edith Mary Liddell is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
