William Lionel Wyllie, R.A. (1853-1931)
William Lionel Wyllie, R.A. (1853-1931)

Work-a-day England

Details
William Lionel Wyllie, R.A. (1853-1931)
Work-a-day England
signed 'W L Wyllie' (lower right)
oil on canvas
36 x 50 in. (91.5 x 127 cm.)
Provenance
Anonymous sale; Dreweatts, Newbury, 11 October 2000, lot 113.
with David Messum Fine Art, London.
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy, 1886, no. 123.
London, David Messum Fine Art, British Impressionism, Spring 2001, no. 80.

Brought to you by

Sarah Reynolds
Sarah Reynolds

Lot Essay


Painted in the wake of celebrations for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, this ambitious picture shows Wyllie reflecting on the state of England with patriotic pride. The painting is a snapshot of labour, commerce, industry and empire and also a portrait of change, with the old and new world orders divided between the manual labourers in the foreground and the steam and smoke of the machine age beyond. Work-a-day England was painted on the river Medway, probably from life, a few years after Wyllie had moved to the area, and reflects his intimate knowledge of the local landscape and sailing craft.

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