Collectors of brushwood by Thomas Gainsborough

The artist tried to portray here another life of the English, different from the aristocratic way of life.

Three children from a poor family went to the forest for brushwood. The oldest girl is holding a small child. A boy, a smaller girl, gathered a few twigs and sat down to rest. Children’s clothes are poor, the boy’s pants are in holes. The dark sky, the dusk of the forest, causes some concern for the children.

But the picture is still at odds with the reality of life. Beautiful faces of children evoke tenderness, but not pity, not sympathy. They are not exhausted, they are not tired. And if we dress them in other beautiful clothes, we will see that these children are no different from the children of aristocrats.

Related Paintings

Group Portrait of Children Marchamp by Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of the artist’s daughters by Thomas Gainsborough George and Louise Beam with daughter Sarah by Thomas Gainsborough Marketplace by Thomas Gainsborough Peasant family near his house by Thomas Gainsborough Village house with pigs by Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of John Hayes Saint Lego by Thomas Gainsborough William Pointe of Midgehem and his dog Amber by Thomas Gainsborough