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Under a grey sky, an itinerant family rests at the side of a dirt road. They are a man, a woman, a baby, and a boy of about five years. The man stands to the left, leaning against a gate with his thumb hooked into his waistcoat pocket. He has a strong physique and a determined expression, and is dressed in brown work clothes and well-worn boots. He has a bundle on his back and a hat in his hand. His gaze follows the road which leads off to the right towards buildings in the distance. Two figures and a horse in the distance are coming down the road towards the man and his family. The woman sits exhausted on the grass verge, breastfeeding the baby. She too has been carrying a bundle of belongings. Her older child leans tiredly on her knee. The man's work tools – two shovels and a pick – are also on the verge.
Title
Hard Times
Date
1885
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 86.5 x W 112 cm
Accession number
1885.24
Acquisition method
purchased from the artist, 1885
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
Signed blc : H H 85
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester M2 3JL England
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George Robert Canning Harris (1851–1932), 4th Baron Harris Maidstone County Hall -
Sir John Henry Puleston (1829–1908) Caernarfon Royal Town Council -
George Baker Forster (1832–1901), MA The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers -
Sir William Markby (1829–1914) British Library -
Owen Owen (1848–1910), JP, Founder of the Firm (1868) Victoria Gallery & Museum -
Sir Hugh Bell, Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire Middlesbrough Town Hall -
Captain Philip Blundell Bicknell (1818–1905) Usher Gallery - 263 more