Frederick Walker

The Vagrants

1868

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

License this image

On loan

Fondation de l’Hermitage (Lausanne, Switzerland): British painting during the Victorian era

Artist: Frederick Walker 1840–1875
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: Support: 832 x 1264 mm
frame: 1027 x 1567 x 120 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased 1886
Reference: N01209

Display caption

Frederick Walker painted this after seeing gypsies on Clapham Common, south London. He tried to use the gypsies as models but found that they had moved on. Instead his sister Polly posed for the standing woman. The background landscape was painted in the open air at Beddington, near Croydon.Walker originally made The Vagrants as an illustration in the magazine Once a Week. He worked it up into an oil painting to show at the Royal Academy. It failed to find a buyer, but it had a great influence on younger artists who specialised in social-realist subjects.

Gallery label, July 2007

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.

Explore

nature(46,287)
- natural phenomena(3,303)
  - smoke(332)
- landscape(26,664)
  - heathland(275)
  - hill(10,423)
- water: inland(11,644)
  - pool(395)
objects(23,206)
- heating and lighting(833)
  - fire, open(85)
- clothing and personal effects(5,895)
  - shawl(91)
people(35,419)
- actions: postures and motions(9,130)
  - crouching(272)
- children(3,466)
  - baby(537)
  - boy(1,184)
  - girl(1,127)
- adults(23,093)
  - woman(9,185)
- groups(5,449)
  - group(4,481)
society(35,071)
- health and welfare(644)
  - homelessness(18)
- transport: land(2,985)
  - cart(917)
- family(4,124)
  - family(1,061)
  - mother and child(400)

You might like

Frederick Walker, ‘The Harbour of Refuge’ 1872

Frederick Walker The Harbour of Refuge

1872

N01391

Abraham Solomon, ‘Waiting for the Verdict’ 1857

Abraham Solomon Waiting for the Verdict

1857

T03614

John Robertson Reid, ‘A Country Cricket Match’ 1878

John Robertson Reid A Country Cricket Match

1878

N01557

William Maw Egley, ‘Omnibus Life in London’ 1859

William Maw Egley Omnibus Life in London

1859

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art N05779

John Robertson Reid, ‘Toil and Pleasure’ 1879

John Robertson Reid Toil and Pleasure

1879

N01600

Frederick Walker, ‘Philip in Church, engraved by Swain’ published 1862

Frederick Walker Philip in Church, engraved by Swain

published 1862

View by appointment N04059

Richard Redgrave, ‘The Emigrant’s Last Sight of Home’ 1858

Richard Redgrave The Emigrant’s Last Sight of Home

1858

T02110

Abraham Solomon, ‘Not Guilty (The Acquittal)’ exhibited 1857

Abraham Solomon Not Guilty (The Acquittal)

exhibited 1857

T03615

Frank Holl, ‘Hushed’ 1877

Frank Holl Hushed

1877

N01536

Frederick Walker, ‘The Old Gate’ 1874–5

Frederick Walker The Old Gate

1874–5

N03525

Frederick Walker, ‘Philip in Church’ c.1862

Frederick Walker Philip in Church

c.1862

N03515

Frederick Walker, ‘Refreshment’ exhibited 1864

Frederick Walker Refreshment

exhibited 1864

N02687

Augustus Leopold Egg, ‘Past and Present, No. 3’ 1858

Augustus Leopold Egg Past and Present, No. 3

1858

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art N03280

James Collinson, ‘Home Again’ 1856

James Collinson Home Again

1856

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art T04105

Arthur Boyd Houghton, ‘Ramsgate Sands’ c.1861

Arthur Boyd Houghton Ramsgate Sands

c.1861

N03907