Lot Essay
For many centuries, May Day was one of the most important days of the year in England, and was marked by festivities which included games and dances. However, by the end of the 19th century all that remained of these ceremonies was the May Garland, which the children are seen carrying here. John Ruskin, a great champion of English traditions, was so concerned about the decline in May Day ceremonies that he introduced one at the Whitelands Training College for Women Teachers in Chelsea. The College was annually bedecked with wild flowers, and, during the 1880s and 1890s a noticeable resurgence in May Day festivities occurred throughout the country. Birket Foster painted the carrying of May Garlands on several occasions; another example is illustrated in Andrew Clayton Payne, Victorian Cottages, London 1993, p. 83.