Sleeping Boots-boy

George Smith (1829 - 1901)

Date: c.1880

Dimensions:

36 x 30.5 cm

Medium: Oil on canvas

Object number: GA0648

DescriptionThis painting depicts a sleeping boots-boy resting against a wooden crate. George Smith was well known for his paintings of children within rural and domestic settings. Such sentimental taste evokes notions of innocence and purity and were incredibly popular among the public in Victorian Britain. Infant mortality rates were staggeringly high during the mid-nineteenth century and such idealised images of children engaging in domestic play or - as depicted here - restful sleep, became increasingly popular as a counterpoint to the harsh realities and difficult living conditions endured by most children.

Benjamin Angwin - October 2014