John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-1893)

This picture is unusual in the number of figures depicted. The location would appear to be a suburban street in either Leeds or Chelsea, but the costumes are interesting. No doubt influenced by the illustrations of Kate Greenaway, they appear to be a peculiarly idiosyncratic rendition of what might have been worn in the eighteenth century, inflected by the prevailing taste for what was subsequently known as the Queen Anne Revival. Although Grimshaw adapted his pictures to emulate popular artists such as Tissot and Alma-Tadema, he does not appear to have painted many more pictures in a similar vein to this. Sadly, the companion picture, Sage Advice, is untraced.
We are grateful to Alex Robertson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.