Childhood‘Puritan and Cavalier’ 1886Frederick Goodall (1822 – 1904)Oil on canvas, 113 x 184.8cm
The boy, dressed as a Cavalier, is trying to find the girl, dressed as a Puritan, so he can kiss her under the mistletoe he is carrying. His King Charles spaniel pup has found her first, though. The models for the two children were the artist's son and daughter. The screen contains crewel work (embroidery) with a tree of life pattern. It is probably 19th century in date, but is imitating 17th century work. At first glance, this painting appears to be similar in intent to other works such as ‘And when did you last see your father?’ by WF Yeames and ‘An Idyll of 1745’ by Millais. Are these children, from opposing sides of Britain’s bloody Civil War, transcending the differences of their elders? Such idealistic views of childhood innocence were common in the late 19th century. They appealed to the sentimental impulses of Victorian society. However, another reading can be given to the work, if it is seen in context with other paintings dealing with similar subjects. This painting is an amusing parody of the many Civil War scenes from everyday life painted in the 19th century by artists such as those in the St John’s Wood Clique. Some of them tended to trivialise events in search of humour and originality. Here, Goodall has carried this tendency as far as it can possibly go. The children are only playing a game - which is sometimes the impression given by some of the other, more 'serious' paintings about the Civil War. In this section |
