George Morland (1763-1804)

A child prodigy, Morland exhibited works at the Royal Academy and the Society of Artists from 1770 onwards. His work became immensely popular through its distribution in print form. Throughout his career, his forte was the portrayal of genre scenes from everyday rustic life.
John Tollemache, who lent the picture to an Exhibition of Art Treasures in Manchester in 1857, was a Member of Parliament for Cheshire. Tollemache commissioned the Gothic Revival Architect Anthony Salvin to build Peckforton Castle, a country house in the style of a medieval castle, between 1844 and 1851.