Lot 98: Edward Thompson Davis , 1833-1867 the alphabet oil on canvas

signed with initials and dated l.l.: E.D./ 1863 oil on canvas

measurements note 66.5 by 40 cm.; 26 ¼ by 15 ¾ in.

Sotheby's, Pictures from the Collection of Sir David and Lady Scott, 2008, pp. 106-107.

London, Spink & Son, where bought by Sir David Scott, 22 May 1979 for £2,800

This painting of a child standing in a lane carrying exercise books, which in one sense may be seen as a delightful description of Victorian childhood, may also be recognised as an important and seriously intended piece of social observation. Literacy was recognised as a vital skill in the mid-Victorian period and one that enabled men and women to advance socially and economically. That the question of how children and adults could be offered at least rudimentary education was in the public mind and a matter of general concern is indicated by the number of paintings which explore the issue to have originated in the 1850s and '60s. Other works by Davis which demonstrate his particular interest in the question of education and literacy are The Evening Lesson (untraced), which appeared at the Royal Academy in 1858, and On the way to School (untraced, but known from an engraving that appeared in the Art Journal in 1870), which was shown at the Academy in 1866. The girl represented here, herself perhaps six years old and, as may be judged from her tattered clothes and rough boots, one who enjoyed few privileges, looks directly towards the spectator, and seems willing to show the books that she clasps in two hands. Uppermost is a textbook open at a page in which may be seen an alphabet in large capital letters, clearly the object of her immediate study. For biographical details see following lot.