
In Tate Britain
- Artist
- Frank Holl 1845–1888
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 343 × 445 mm
frame: 674 × 775 × 135 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894
- Reference
- N01535
Display caption
Child death was a common occurrence in Victorian society. In Hush a mother devotedly watches over her sick baby, her anxiety mirrored in the face of an older child. This painting has a companion piece, Hushed which goes on to depict the death of the baby. Frank Holl confronts his subject directly, without sentimentality. The sombre colouring and the strong contrasts between light and shade heighten the grim mood.
Gallery label, May 2023
Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.
Explore
- emotions, concepts and ideas(16,416)
-
- emotions and human qualities(5,345)
-
- anxiety(1,028)
- domestic(1,795)
-
- living room(292)
- furnishings(3,081)
- bucket(111)
- actions: postures and motions(9,111)
-
- head in hand / hands(278)
- sitting(3,347)
- looking / watching(581)
- woman(9,110)
- family(602)
-
- mother and child(394)
You might like
-
Frederick Walker The Vagrants
1868 -
Sir John Everett Millais, Bt The North-West Passage
1874 -
James Clarke Hook Home with the Tide
1880 -
Sir William Quiller Orchardson The First Cloud
1887 -
Sir William Quiller Orchardson Her Mother’s Voice
exhibited 1888 -
Thomas Faed Highland Mother
exhibited 1870 -
Frank Holl Hushed
1877 -
John Robertson Reid A Country Cricket Match
1878 -
Briton Riviere Sympathy
c.1878 -
John Robertson Reid Toil and Pleasure
1879 -
Augustus Leopold Egg Past and Present, No. 1
1858 -
Frank Huddlestone Potter Girl Resting at a Piano
date not known -
Sir John Everett Millais, Bt Hearts are Trumps
1872 -
William Maw Egley Omnibus Life in London
1859 -
Abraham Solomon Waiting for the Verdict
1857