A primrose from England
Edward Hopley, who lived most of his life in Lewes, Sussex, had a relatively successful, mainstream career as a painter specializing in topical genre scenes, fairy paintings, and portraits, but in his day his work tended to receive greater popular approval than critical recognition. With the passing of time, however, Hopley's images have gained prominence as they have come to be valued as fascinating social documents of an earlier age. Hopley was an artist keenly aware of the prevailing concerns of the nineteenth century, and his narrative paintings provide a potent insight into the Victorian mentality and way of life.
A Primrose from England, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1855, offers a richly layered narrative on the dual theme of immigration and colonization. Hopley was inspired by the reports of an actual event: the transportation, made possible by the invention of the so-called Wardian Case, of a primrose from the home country to Melbourne-to the profound excitement of the colonial populace. The artist has used this subject as a vehicle for exploring the emotions associated with the emigrant experience. A Primrose from England communicates a strong sense of the nostalgia that emigrants felt for the ways of the old country, at the same time conveying the desire of the new arrivals to assimilate this culture into the colonial environment.