Thomas Dawson and His Family (Primary Title)

John Frederick Herring, Sr., English, 1795 - 1865 (Artist)

Educational
1842
English
oil on canvas
Unframed: 19 × 25 in. (48.26 × 63.5 cm)
Framed: 24 3/4 × 30 1/8 in. (62.87 × 76.52 cm)
85.492
Thomas Dawson was one of the most famous British racehorse trainers of his day. In an unusual but charming scene, Herring shows him away from the track in the company of his prosperous-looking family; perhaps the artist was propagandizing for the wholesomeness of the world of the turf. Dawson’s sons, one of whom is seated with aplomb atop a piebald pony, wear Glengarry bonnets proclaiming their family’s Scottish origins.
Inscribed "Dawson of Middleham / 1842," lower left.
Paul Mellon Collection
2018: "Country Life: Masterpieces from the Mellon Collection of MVFA", Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, France, September 4 - December 2, 2018

2018-2019: "A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the VMFA", National Sporting Museum & Library, Middleburg, VA, April 13 - July 22, 2018; Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, June 15 - September 8, 2019
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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