No walk today

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No walk today: Sophie Gengembre Anderson

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Art Type: Oil Painting
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Sophie Gengembre Anderson Oil Painting - No walk today

Keywords: walk

Work Overview: No Walk Today (1856)
Sophie Gengembre Anderson
oil on canvas
49.5 × 39.5 cm
Private collection

The couple moved to London in 1854, where Sophie exhibited at the Society of British Artists (in 1855), and at the Royal Academy. In this period, she painted the delightful No Walk Today (1856), which was purchased in 2008 for over £1 million. It shows a small girl, dressed up in highly fashionable clothing, looking sadly and wistfully through a window. The clear story is that she is not able to go out for a walk, although dressed for it.

This is something of a ‘puzzle painting’ in that it invites the viewer to speculate as to why the girl should be confined to the house, but gives us very few clues. She is apparently not ill, nor is the weather inclement. She is not dressed in subfuse or mourning clothing, which might have indicated a family bereavement.

In 1856 Sophie produced one of her best loved and most famous works, entitled No Walk Today. The work is testament to Sophie’s fine attention to detail. It is almost photographic in quality. One cannot help but be mesmerised by the amount of work she has put into the detail of the lace curtains we see behind the child. Look at the child. By the way she is dressed, she appears to be part of a wealthy family. She wears her outdoor clothes as a prelude to setting off on a walk but we can see by her facial expression, all is not well ! The inclement weather has curtailed any thoughts of going out of the house and the sullen and disappointed expression on her face perfectly sums up feelings.

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Sophie Gengembre Anderson

Work Overview