Thursday, December 22, 2011

Painting of the Day: 'Snowballing' by John Morgan, 1865


The Victoria & Albert Museum


This painting by John Morgan was created in 1865 and is entitled “Snowballing.” It depicts a group of raucous boys engrossed in a hearty snowball fight.


Morgan wanted to make sure that the viewer recognized these lads as country children. At least two of them wear the smock that was still traditionally in use by working men and boys in the country districts of Britain in the 1860s. Smocks meant for everyday wear were usually of a strong brown or grey cloth, and were constructed of pieces of fabric only in rectangular, square or triangular shapes—requiring no pattern and ensuring no fabric was wasted on creating curved shapes.

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