Soldier with Country Women Selling Ribbons, near a Military Camp
Date:
1788
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
40 x 50 inches (101.6 x 127 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1973.1.62
Gallery Label:
Wheatley painted this scene of amorous interaction between countrywomen and members of the Sixteenth (Queen’s) Light Dragoons when Britain was briefly at peace. This cavalry regiment had returned from service in America in 1783 and been given its distinctive new blue uniform in 1784. Their duties until the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in 1792 consisted of assisting the excise men in intercepting smugglers and escorting members of the royal family whenever they traveled. Their eye-catching uniforms and attendance on royalty as mounted guards made them much admired, allowing Wheatley to create this pleasing genre picture of love and flirtation tinged with the sadness of implied parting. Gallery label for Love, Life, Death, and Desire: An Installation of the Center's Collections (Yale Center for British Art, 2020-11-01 – 2021-02-28)