Lot Essay
Arthur Elsley deserves to be heralded as one of the finest painters of children in Victorian England. He was best known for his delightful interpretations of children at playtime, however, some of his most charming works depict the bedtime hour (see Goodnight, Christie's New York, February 14, 1992, lot 171A). Elsley often used his own children as the models for his paintings, and in fact the older girl in our picture may be his daughter Mabel, who appeared in many of his paintings from this period.