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William Henry Millais was the elder brother of the painter Sir John Everett Millais and began this closely observed Pre-Raphaelite landscape while staying with John at the George Inn, near Bromley, during the summer of 1852. The brothers painted alongside each other, lending support to the opinion that John added the figure of a child to William’s canvas. The painting was probably finished in a studio the following year. John drew his brother into Pre-Raphaelite circles in the late 1840s and encouraged him to paint landscapes from 1850 onward. This example is typical of the Pre-Raphaelite intensity of vision, in part inspired by the ideas of John Ruskin and the earnestness of his conviction that artists scrutinize the natural world. Both Millais brothers incorporated the oak tree in their work, and it became known as the “Millais Oak” in the nineteenth century, likely after the more successful John.
Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016