Study for "Country Cousins"
1848
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1848
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a young boy in profile, head bowed, hands clasped tight. He’s drawn in black and red chalk with soft white highlights on his cheek and collar. This is a study for a bigger painting about class—country relatives visiting rich city kin who look down on them. The boy’s quiet shame says everything without words. Look up more paintings of England, 19th century to see how artists showed social divides.
