Object number
66/251
Title
The Blind Fiddler,
Creator
Description
Print featuring a domestic interior showing a poor family listening to a man playing the fiddle. Original painted in 1806 by David Wilkie R. A..
This is a print featuring a domestic interior showing a poor family listening to a man playing the fiddle. Good detail of domestic objects and costume. Original was painted in 1806 by David Wilkie R. A. and hangs in the Tate Gallery. This copy was engraved by John Burnet; published by London Fine Art Association (by kind permission of Messrs Henry Graves and Co.)
Physical description
1 print (engraving): b&w; good conditionThe scene depicts a domestic interior with a blind fiddler playing to a poor family. There is good detail of domestic objects and costume.
Label Text
1. The family at home. Country workers and their families had little leisure time at the end of their long working day and what time they did have for relaxation often followed the same pattern every day. During warmer summer weather children were usually sent out of doors after the evening meal to create their own games or would be expected to help one or other parent, a minor errand for their mother or helping their father in the garden. When darkness fell most would then be sent off to bed, though the eldest children would often have a little extra time, often chatting to their parents. The children's mother would have had very little opportunity for recreation during her day. Exchanging news with a friend or neighbour or a weekly shopping trip to the local market would for many have been the only events to enliven the usual daily routine of household chores. The occasional outing to gather wild nuts and berries with other local women and children would, therefore, have made a welcome change to this routine. The children's father would usually spend some of his evening tending the garden or allotment, work that was generally followed by a visit to one of the local inns to spend an hour or so in the company of friends. Alternatively, the atmosphere of the parish reading room might have had more appeal. Their father would have also enjoyed fishing, catching birds and hunting small animals in his spare time. The image above depicts several generations of a country family who are lucky enough to be entertained at home by a fiddler. Some of the children stand and listen whilst another, a young boy seen to the right, imitates the fiddler by holding a small pair of bellows and a stick. The picture is entitled 'The Blind Fiddler'. This version was engraved by John Burnet and was published in 1877, the original painting the work of David Wilkie RA. 66/251.1. The family at home. Country workers and their families had little leisure time at the end of their long working day and what time they did have for relaxation often followed the same pattern every day. During warmer summer weather children were usually sent out of doors after the evening meal to create their own games or would be expected to help one or other parent, a minor errand for their mother or helping their father in the garden. When darkness fell most would then be sent off to bed, though the eldest children would often have a little extra time, often chatting to their parents. The children's mother would have had very little opportunity for recreation during her day. Exchanging news with a friend or neighbour or a weekly shopping trip to the local market would for many have been the only events to enliven the usual daily routine of household chores. The occasional outing to gather wild nuts and berries with other local women and children would, therefore, have made a welcome change to this routine. The children's father would usually spend some of his evening tending the garden or allotment, work that was generally followed by a visit to one of the local inns to spend an hour or so in the company of friends. Alternatively, the atmosphere of the parish reading room might have had more appeal. Their father would have also enjoyed fishing, catching birds and hunting small animals in his spare time. The image above depicts several generations of a country family who are lucky enough to be entertained at home by a fiddler. Some of the children stand and listen whilst another, a young boy seen to the right, imitates the fiddler by holding a small pair of bellows and a stick. The picture is entitled 'The Blind Fiddler'. This version was engraved by John Burnet and was published in 1877, the original painting the work of David Wilkie RA. 66/251.
Archival history
MERL ‘Handwritten accession’ form (Institute of Agricultural History) - ‘PRINT- Engraving // DOMESTIC Furnishing pictures // Miss May // Description: The Blind Fiddler 1877, Painted by David Wilkie. R.A, Engraved by John Burnet, Published, London Jan 6th 1877 by the London Fire Art Association, by bind permission of Messrs Henry Graves and company (copy right) // Dimensions: Engraving 55x38.5cm, Brown frame 74cm wide x 54cm high // Associated information: A domestic interior showing a poor family listening to a man playing the fiddle. Good detail of domestic objects and costume. The original was painted in 1806 and hangs in the Tate Gallery.’
Production date
1877-01-01
Object name
Material
Technique
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_11117.tif - High resolution image
