Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Brittany Interior
The son of farmers who emigrated to New York in 1839, Boughton returned to settle permanently in England in 1861/2. Influenced by Frederick Walker, he also became a successful book illustrator. In this watercolor the artist adds a note of pathos to a scene of a rural interior in France; the crate which forms the baby's cradle is stamped with the word "FRAGILE." Together with what appears to be medicine bottles on the mantel and the woman's sad expression, we are led to conclude that the child's fate may be precarious. The religious print on the wall above the pair suggest that the family are part of the "deserving poor" who, in the 19th century, were seen as worthy of sympathy and help.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
William T. or Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2006 | A Child's-Eye View. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1983 | A Connoisseur's Portfolio: Nineteenth-century Drawings and Watercolors in the Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
United Kingdom, England (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 13 7/8 x W: 9 15/16 in. (35.3 x 25.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. or Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.956