The crossing sweeper

Details

WILLIAM POWELL FRITH, R.A. (BRITISH, 1819-1909)
The crossing sweeper
signed and dated 'W P Frith. 1863' (lower right)
oil on panel
7 ½ x 6 in. (19 x 15.3 cm.)

Provenance

Sir John Harrowing (†); Christie's, London, 22 June 1962, lot 81 (170 gns to Newman).
Malcolm Young; Christie's, London, 2 July 1971, lot 65, where purchased by the present owner.

Literature

W.P. Frith, My Autobiography and Reminiscences, 1887-1888, London, I, pp. 296, 298, and II, pp. 215-219.
'William Powell Frith's The Crossing-Sweeper; an archetypal image of mid-nineteenth-century London', Burlington Magazine, May 2002 leading article pp. 300-307, Museum of London.

Exhibited

London, Leighton House, 1965, lent by Malcolm Young.
Derby, Museum and Art Gallery, 1967, lent by Malcolm Young.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Sarah Reynolds Specialist, Head of Sale

sareynolds@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3284

Lot Essay

TO BE SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE

The present work is a reduced variant of Frith's 1858 The Crossing Sweeper now in the collection of the Museum of London. In the original the young woman is dressed in a grey rather than a pink dress, with a white lace trim to her bonnet. Frith frequently produced smaller versions of his most popular pictures in order to fulfill the demand from his eager collectors.

More from British and European Art

View All