Prize Certificate Issued by Mr Oliphant’s School

An anonymous designer

Print on lilac paper with handwritten inscription

5 x 3½ inches

Roses and Holly, on front paste-down

A third prize for ‘Drawing’ in ‘Senior Landscape’, awarded to a Ms. Husetable in July 1877. Thomas Oliphant’s school in Edinburgh had a long history: set up initially in 1842 as a teacher-training college, he redefined his establishment in 1846 as a fee-paying institution for young ladies. Oliphant’s heraldic blazon, in a refined neo-classical style, is one of the most pleasing of Victorian prize certificates, projecting a notion of cultured elegance and learning. Many have survived.

Click on image to enlarge it.

Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]