This work adds to their collection of 17 oil paintings. It depicts a group of children playing happily among the wild flowers behind a weary old woman dragging a large bit of firewood. This work shows how Goodwin absorbed the colour palette and techniques of the Pre-Raphaelite artists with whom he had been working. It is also important as Goodwin rarely painted faces, tending to paint people from the side or behind. His diary later suggested that he wished he had spent more time on painting people.

Provenance

Humphrey Roberts; Christie's, 1908; private collection; Christie's, 1991; ChristieÂ’s, 1998; Christie's, 2008, unsold; Christie's, 2009.