Henry Robert Morland

A Laundry Maid Ironing

c.1765–82

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Not on display
Artist
Henry Robert Morland 1716–1797
Medium
Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions
Support: 743 x 616 mm
frame: 942 x 817 x 92 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Purchased 1894
Reference
N01403

Display caption

Throughout his life Morland painted 'fancy subjects' of servant maids, ballad-singers and oyster-girls, all very similar to this pair. They are derived in large from Mercier's earlier fancy pictures of scenes of domestic occupation, which he produced with an eye to the print market. The tradition that these pictures are actually portraits of famous contemporary society beauties is simply a sentimental notion, and in fact Morland exhibited at least five similar pairs of pictures between 1768 and 1782.

Gallery label, August 2004

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