Masterpiece of the Week: Rustic Civility, 1833

Rustic Civility
William Collins, 1833
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the early to mid Nineteenth Century, oil paintings with sentimental or genre scenes of children in the countryside became popular with Victorian collectors. Two of the most prolific collectors of these kinds of paintings were the celebrated John Sheepshanks and the famous Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend (whose collection of jewels we’ve examined many times).

This painting from 1833 is by William Collins who trained at the Royal Academy and went on to become a popular painter of landscapes and rustic genre scenes like this one. Collins had a special fondness for depicting children and did so with an unrivaled skill and tenderness.

This painting is actually a smaller version of a larger original by Collins. John Sheepshanks subsequently commissioned this smaller replica from the artist so that he could add it to his collection.

Collins often incorporated a simple puzzle into his works.  Here, the puzzle is: for whom have the children opened the gate?

The answer to this question is given by the shadow of a horseman on the ground. The children have assisted the horseman—for whom opening the gate would have been difficult while atop his steed—demonstrating the “rustic civility” for which the painting is named.

Both large and small prints of this and other similar works were highly collectible and very much in fashion with the Victorian public.  Often these sorts of genre paintings were printed in polychrome on trade cards and calling cards which would be collected in albums. 

Painting of the Day: Queen Victoria at Osborne, 1867

Queen Victoria at Osborne
"Shadow"
Sir Edwin Landseer, 1867
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Victoria’s “Go-to” painter for many reasons was Sir Edwin Landseer (1803-1873). Her Majesty admired Landseer’s work for its monumentality and sense of historical accuracy as well as his sensitive and accurate depictions of children and animals. After the 1861 pre-mature death of Prince Albert, Victoria commissioned Landseer to create a pair of paintings which she called “Sunshine and Shadow.” She wrote in her journal that she was “seized with a great wish” to see illustrated the contrast between those dear, joyful times which she had shared with Prince Albert on the Highlands at Balmoral and at their vacation home, Osborne House, and the overwhelming grief she felt since the Prince Consort’s death.

Her Majesty asked, for the “Shadow” portion of the pair that she be painted, “as I am now, sad & lonely, seated on my pony, led by Brown, with a representation of Osborne.”

And, that’s just what Landseer did.

Here, we see the Queen in the mourning attire she donned for the remainder of her life. Landseer pictures Her Majesty seated upon Flora, the royal pony. Flora is being led by John Brown. Behind them, we can see the grand terraces of Osborne, the clock stopped at 3 p.m. Her Majesty reads a letter while, on the ground, her gloves and other letters have been cast aside. As I’ve mentioned before, imagery of cast-off gloves often symbolized a woman alone.

Landseer has also carefully painted two of the Queen’s dogs, a Border Collie (most likely the one called Sharp) and a Skye Terrier whom we know as “Prince.” Princesses Louise and Helena are seen in the background.

That Victoria asked for Brown to be included in the painting speaks of her affection for the servant who had originally been a ghillie (an outdoor servant) at Balmoral. Upon the passing of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria and Brown enjoyed a close friendship. John Brown was deeply protective of the Queen, and she was fiercely loyal to him despite the opposition of her advisors and family, especially the future King Edward VII.

The Queen’s grief was compounded when Brown died in 1883. She wrote:

Perhaps never in history was there so strong and true an attachment, so warm and loving a friendship between the sovereign and servant…Strength of character as well as power of frame – the most fearless uprightness, kindness, sense of justice, honesty, independence and unselfishness combined with a tender, warm heart…the most remarkable of men.

Landseer painted the portrait based on many live sittings as well as a variety of photographs of the Queen on horseback, the dogs, and the princesses. He began the work on “Shadow” in 1865—creating sketches, but didn’t begin actual painting until 1867. Landseer claimed to have been unsettled by the fog and suggested that his failing eyesight had delayed him. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1867, at the end of the year. He wrote, upon the opening of the exhibit:

If there is any merit in my treatment of the composition it is in the truthful and unaffected representation of Her Majesty’s unceasing grief – The story should be told by the Picture.

Print of the Day: Blackheath Park, 1852

Click image to enlarge.Blackheath Park
William Mulready, 1852
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Chances are, you don’t spend as much time poking around the collections of the V&A as I do. Maybe you do. If you were to do so, you’d notice that a good many of the paintings were given to the Victoria & Albert Museum by one John Sheepshanks. Sheepshanks was a hugely prolific collector of art and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his dogged dedication to preserving these masterpieces.

Sheepshanks, being a patron of the arts, enjoyed friendships with many of the greatest artists of the Victorian era. Among them was the Irish-born William Mulready (1786-1863).

Mulready created this piece in 1852, especially for Sheepshanks. The painting depicts the view across the park from the gate of John Sheepshank’s commodious home in Blackheath, South London. Sheepshanks loved this view of fields, trees and water and was especially pleased with the painting which a critic described as “a refreshing green bit of nature.”

Print of the Day: Blackheath Park, 1852

Click image to enlarge.Blackheath Park
William Mulready, 1852
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Chances are, you don’t spend as much time poking around the collections of the V&A as I do. Maybe you do. If you were to do so, you’d notice that a good many of the paintings were given to the Victoria & Albert Museum by one John Sheepshanks. Sheepshanks was a hugely prolific collector of art and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his dogged dedication to preserving these masterpieces.

Sheepshanks, being a patron of the arts, enjoyed friendships with many of the greatest artists of the Victorian era. Among them was the Irish-born William Mulready (1786-1863).

Mulready created this piece in 1852, especially for Sheepshanks. The painting depicts the view across the park from the gate of John Sheepshank’s commodious home in Blackheath, South London. Sheepshanks loved this view of fields, trees and water and was especially pleased with the painting which a critic described as “a refreshing green bit of nature.”

Painting of the Day: Queen Victoria at Osborne, 1867

Queen Victoria at Osborne
"Shadow"
Sir Edwin Landseer, 1867
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Victoria’s “Go-to” painter for many reasons was Sir Edwin Landseer (1803-1873). Her Majesty admired Landseer’s work for its monumentality and sense of historical accuracy as well as his sensitive and accurate depictions of children and animals. After the 1861 pre-mature death of Prince Albert, Victoria commissioned Landseer to create a pair of paintings which she called “Sunshine and Shadow.” She wrote in her journal that she was “seized with a great wish” to see illustrated the contrast between those dear, joyful times which she had shared with Prince Albert on the Highlands at Balmoral and at their vacation home, Osborne House, and the overwhelming grief she felt since the Prince Consort’s death.

Her Majesty asked, for the “Shadow” portion of the pair that she be painted, “as I am now, sad & lonely, seated on my pony, led by Brown, with a representation of Osborne.”

And, that’s just what Landseer did.

Here, we see the Queen in the mourning attire she donned for the remainder of her life. Landseer pictures Her Majesty seated upon Flora, the royal pony. Flora is being led by John Brown. Behind them, we can see the grand terraces of Osborne, the clock stopped at 3 p.m. Her Majesty reads a letter while, on the ground, her gloves and other letters have been cast aside. As I’ve mentioned before, imagery of cast-off gloves often symbolized a woman alone.

Landseer has also carefully painted two of the Queen’s dogs, a Border Collie (most likely the one called Sharp) and a Skye Terrier whom we know as “Prince.” Princesses Louise and Helena are seen in the background.

That Victoria asked for Brown to be included in the painting speaks of her affection for the servant who had originally been a ghillie (an outdoor servant) at Balmoral. Upon the passing of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria and Brown enjoyed a close friendship. John Brown was deeply protective of the Queen, and she was fiercely loyal to him despite the opposition of her advisors and family, especially the future King Edward VII.

The Queen’s grief was compounded when Brown died in 1883. She wrote:

Perhaps never in history was there so strong and true an attachment, so warm and loving a friendship between the sovereign and servant…Strength of character as well as power of frame – the most fearless uprightness, kindness, sense of justice, honesty, independence and unselfishness combined with a tender, warm heart…the most remarkable of men.

Landseer painted the portrait based on many live sittings as well as a variety of photographs of the Queen on horseback, the dogs, and the princesses. He began the work on “Shadow” in 1865—creating sketches, but didn’t begin actual painting until 1867. Landseer claimed to have been unsettled by the fog and suggested that his failing eyesight had delayed him. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1867, at the end of the year. He wrote, upon the opening of the exhibit:

If there is any merit in my treatment of the composition it is in the truthful and unaffected representation of Her Majesty’s unceasing grief – The story should be told by the Picture.

Painting of the Day: Rustic Civility, 1833

Rustic Civility
William Collins, 1833
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the early to mid Nineteenth Century, oil paintings with sentimental or genre scenes of children in the countryside became popular with Victorian collectors.  Two of the most prolific collectors of these kinds of paintings were the celebrated John Sheepshanks and the famous Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend (whose collection of jewels we’ve examined many times).

This painting from 1833 is by William Collins who trained at the Royal Academy and went on to become a popular painter of landscapes and rustic genre scenes like this one. Collins had a special fondness for depicting children and did so with an unrivaled skill and tenderness.

This painting is actually a smaller version of a larger original by Collins. John Sheepshanks subsequently commissioned this smaller replica from the artist so that he could add it to his collection.

Collins often incorporated a simple puzzle into his works.  Here, the puzzle is: for whom have the children opened the gate?

The answer to this question is given by the shadow of a horseman on the ground. The children have assisted the horseman—for whom opening the gate would have been difficult while atop his steed—demonstrating the “rustic civility” for which the painting is named.

Both large and small prints of this and other similar works were highly collectible and very much in fashion with the Victorian public.  Often these sorts of genre paintings were printed in polychrome on trade cards and calling cards which would be collected in albums.