Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/james-collinson-2214" aria-label="More by James Collinson" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">James Collinson</a>
Empty Purse replica Sale
Presented anonymously 1917
adults
clothing and personal items
doll
domestic
feather duster
fine arts and music
flower
hat, bonnet
interiors
market
morality
notice
objects
people
plants and flowers
print
prostitution
public and municipal
purse
reading, writing, printed matter
ribbon
sex and relationships
social comment
society
toys and models
woman
<p>The title of this picture and the showiness of the woman looking brazenly at the viewer suggest that she works as a prostitute. The bright colours and brilliant finish reveal Collinson’s Pre-Raphaelite past. He was one of the original members of the Brotherhood but he could not reconcile their ideas with his Catholic faith and he resigned. After a brief period training to become a priest he resumed his artistic career in 1854. His subsequent paintings like this one show anecdotal subjects and moralizing scenes from everyday life – the sort of paintings against which the Pre-Raphaelites rebelled.</p><p><em>Gallery label, July 2007</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
29 August 2001 – 25 July 2005
2005-07-25
29 August 2001
2001-08-29
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2001-08-29
Art and Victorian Society
Collection based display
1 October 2007 – 30 September 2008
2008-09-30
1 October 2007 – 30 September 2008
2008-09-30
2007-10-01
Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester, UK)
http://www.manchestergalleries.org
2007-10-01
Reciprocal loan for 'Millais'
Loan-out
14 December 2018 – 19 September 2021
2021-09-19
14 December 2018 – 28 April 2019
2019-04-28
2018-12-14
National Gallery of Australia (Canberra, Australia)
19 June 2019 – 6 October 2019
2019-10-06
2019-06-19
Palazzo Reale (Milan, Italy)
13 May 2021 – 19 September 2021
2021-09-19
2021-05-13
Hungarian National Gallery (Budapest, Hungary)
2018-12-14
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
Tate partnerships & programmes
The Empty Purse (replica of ‘For Sale’)
support: 610 × 492 mm
frame: 766 × 655 × 70 mm
Presented anonymously 1917
<p>The title of this picture and the showiness of the woman looking brazenly at the viewer suggest that she works as a prostitute. The bright colours and brilliant finish reveal Collinson’s Pre-Raphaelite past. He was one of the original members of the Brotherhood but he could not reconcile their ideas with his Catholic faith and he resigned. After a brief period training to become a priest he resumed his artistic career in 1854. His subsequent paintings like this one show anecdotal subjects and moralizing scenes from everyday life – the sort of paintings against which the Pre-Raphaelites rebelled.</p>

Display caption
2007-07-10T00:00:00
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DISPLAY_CAPTION
adults clothing and personal items doll domestic feather duster fine arts and music flower hat, bonnet interiors market morality notice objects people plants and flowers print prostitution public and municipal purse reading, writing, printed matter ribbon sex and relationships social comment society toys and models woman