Christmas Time, from "Illustrated London News"
A boy wrapped against the cold carries a basket of holly, a sprig tucked into his hat, and stands in a wintry coastal landscape. Harvey Orrin Smith's wood engraving for the "Illustrated London News" is based on a painting by William Hemsley, a London genre painter and son of an architect who initially followed his father’s profession, then switched gears and taught himself to paint. Regarded by his contemporaries as a "painter of cottage life," Hemsley's small-scale genre subjects often focus on children, a mode established by Frederick Daniel Hardy. These were shown at the Royal Academy, British Institution and Society of British Artists—Hemsley belonged to the latter and served as vice president.
Artwork Details
- Title: Christmas Time, from "Illustrated London News"
- Engraver: Harvey Orrin Smith (British, active 1847–70)
- Artist: After William Hemsley (British, London 1819–1906 London)
- Date: December 19, 1857
- Medium: Wood engraving
- Dimensions: Image: 7 9/16 × 5 3/8 in. (19.2 × 13.7 cm)
Sheet: 8 in. × 5 11/16 in. (20.3 × 14.4 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Donato Esposito, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.653.35
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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