‘Joseph’s Coat,’ by Ford Madox Brown

Joseph’s Coat

Ford Madox Brown

1863–4; published 1880

Proof wood engraving by the Dalziels on India paper

7 x 6¾ inches

An illustration for The Dalziels’ Bible Gallery, 1881 [1880]

Plate 17. This is an illustration of the deception in Genesis 37:31–33, when the brothers show Joseph’s blood-stained coat to Jacob in order to convince him that his favourite son has been killed. [Commentary continues below.]

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Madox Brown's treatment is a good example of Pre-Raphaelite design: the details of costume and setting are closely observed and replicated, and the anguish of the moment is expressed in the facial features and gestures. Jacob tears at his clothes in despair, as the brothers look warily at their father. Emblematic detail is important too. Brown places Jacob under an oak tree, a symbolic family tree, which he hoped would be carried forward by his favourite son; an oak cluster dangles ironically over his head, a reminder of Joseph’s absence as an acorn, metaphorically speaking, that will not carry the lineage forward. Brown realized the quality of his design, turning it into an oil painting (1866, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) for the patron George Rae; there is also a watercolour version (Tate Britain, London).

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.

Bibliography

The Dalziels’ Bible Gallery. London: George Routledge, 1881 [1880].

Created 4 August 2026