The Soldier's Child

Robinson Elliot was a native of Newcastle and exhibited several views of Northumberland at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Royal Society of British Artists. He was also particularly noted for his charming depictions of children. Here the small boy, dressed in a smock as was then usual, drills a toy soldier resplendent in the red uniform of the British army, equipped with a pith helmet to protect him against the tropical sun. The demands of Empire were never far from the minds of the Victorian public, and children were taught about their future responsibilities from an early age: toy soldiers formed a major component of every Victorian nursery.