Ralph Winstanley Wood and His Son, William Warren Wood

Maker Francis Wheatley (British, 1747-1801)

SitterSitter: Ralph Winstanley Wood (British, 1745 - 1831)

SitterSitter: William Warren Wood (British, born 1780)

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1787

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 36 × 28 1/2 in. (91.4 × 72.4 cm.) frame: 42 3/4 × 35 × 3 3/4 in. (108.6 × 88.9 × 9.5 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of John and Mary Ann Sturgeon

Status

On view

Label TextIn this painting, Ralph Winstanley Wood exhibits the familiar affection that characterized many late-18th-century portraits. Reaching around his son’s back, he draws him close with a kind smile. This physical and psychological closeness shows the influence of the 18th-century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who urged fathers to take responsibility for their sons at an early age. A corresponding painting of the female members of the Wood family, also hanging in this room, shows Mary Margaretta Wood with two of her daughters.

Bibliography

British paintings at the Huntington

Object number97.37

Terms