1833
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Sketch for 'Happy as a King' is a 1833 by William Collins, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sketch shows two kids riding in a wooden cart pulled by a horse. The horse looks tired, and the cart’s wheels are simple, almost like they’re made of planks. One child sits up front, bundled in a coat, while the other leans back, holding something in their lap. The background is just a rough wall and some faint lines for a fence. The drawing feels quick, like the artist scribbled it down fast—loose lines and smudges give it a sketchy, unfinished look. The horse’s head and the kids’ clothes are the most detailed parts, but everything else is just hints. If you like this style, check out cross-hatching next—it’s a technique that uses crisscrossed lines to build up shapes.
A preparatory sketch by William Collins from 1833, titled *Happy as a King*, serves as the foundation for the final painting. The drawing captures the essential composition and subject matter intended for the completed work.
Read the full account in the museum source.
William Collins (8 September 1788, London – 17 February 1847, London) was an English landscape and genre painter.
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