1847
oil
canvas
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
An English Merrymaking a Hundred Years Ago is a 1847 oil by William Powell Frith, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a lively outdoor scene with many people. They're gathered under a large tree, with some sitting and others standing or dancing. The group is dressed in old-fashioned clothing, with men in hats and women in long dresses. In the background, there's a house with a red roof and a church steeple rising above the trees. The people in the painting seem to be having a good time, laughing and chatting with each other. Some are holding cups or bottles, suggesting they might be drinking. The overall atmosphere is one of joy and celebration. The painting's style is detailed and realistic, with a focus on capturing the textures and colors of the scene. It's a great example of a genre scene, which is a type of painting that depicts everyday life. To learn more about this style, check out the work of artist William Powell Frith.
An English Merrymaking a Hundred Years Ago is an 1847 genre painting by the British artist William Powell Frith. During the early stages of his career Frith was a member of The Clique artistic group. He later became known for his panoramic crowd scenes The Derby Day and The Railway Station. The work depicts a day of festivities in an English village in the mid-eighteenth century. It was one of several paintings that cemented Frith's growing reputation. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1847. An oil sketch for the painting is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
William Powell Frith was an English painter specialising in genre subjects and panoramic narrative works of life in the Victorian era.
See the richer artist page
