An orphaned lamb turns its head towards us plaintively, left vulnerable to the bleak winter weather. Its little form stands out against the brooding clouds and the body of its deadmother lying amid the snow. This is one of a number of paintings at Cragside painted by Henry Hetherington Emmerson in the 1870s.

Provenance: Presumably acquired by Sir William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong of Cragside (1810-1900); recorded at Cragside by E. Rimbault Dibdin in ‘Lord Armstrong’s Collection of Modern Pictures. I’, in The Magazine of Art, March 1891; thence by descent; transferred by the Treasury to The National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919 – 1987).

Marks and inscriptions: Bottom left: HHEmmerson 1875 On a label hanging from the frame: ‘ORPHAN OF THE STORM’ / 1875 / H. H. EMMERSON 1831-1895

Text from the National Trust website

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Henry Hetherington Emmerson (1831 – 1895)
Date: 1875

Image Details
Date: 20 June 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/25s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of a National Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.