1850
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Boys Wrestling is a 1850 by William Mulready, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sketch shows two boys from the back, wrestling or playing roughly. One has his arms around the other’s waist, while the second boy leans back, hands raised like he’s trying to break free. The lines are loose and quick, almost like a hurried note. The drawing is on the right side of the page, with handwritten text on the left—maybe notes or a poem. The boys’ clothes are simple, and the whole scene feels alive with movement, even though it’s just pencil on paper. If you like this sketch, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like it.
William Mulready was an Irish genre painter living in London. He is best known for his romanticising depictions of rural scenes, and for creating Mulready stationery letter sheets, issued at the same time as the Penny Black postage stamp.
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