Lot 1574 Dα

William Powell Smith was one of the most important genre painters in England in the 19th century, and was already placed in the British tradition of genre paintings established by William Hogarth during his lifetime. His paintings were generally based on literature, such as Shakespeare, Sterne or Dickens, and illustrated contemporary social conditions, as in his famous work "The Crossing Sweeper", or domestic scenes such as the present work. Children are depicted playing at caring for a sick doll in a Victorian interior. Smith expresses the seriousness with which the children dedicate themselves to the ailing toy.