The Oddie Children

Today, I arrived in Raleigh, NC and stopped by the NC Museum of Art so I could see this painting of my ancestors. The Museum was closed and the painting was in storage, but they museum had made arrangements for me to see it the week before. They sent me this picture of the paining and well as the write up below.

Department: European to 1910
Title: The Oddie Children
Classification: Paintings
Artist: Sir William Beechey, British, 1753-1839
Label Text: Before the eighteenth century, British artists often portrayed children in family portraits as if they were small adults. The subject of children at play reflects a new attitude of tolerance for childhood games in the second half of the century, although an opposing puritanical philosophy still viewed play as sinful. This charming picture of Sarah, Henry, Catherine, and Jane Oddie, the daughters and son of a London lawyer, must have achieved some popularity, since it was reproduced as an engraving. Young Catherine, careless of spoiling her white muslin dress, rests on all fours, gazing out as if to invite the viewer to join the children’s activities. The artist simulates the textures of fabrics brilliantly, contrasting the simple white dresses of the girls with their colorful satin sashes and matching leather slippers. He also manipulates light and dark areas to great effect, silhouetting Jane’s brunette hair against the sky and the heads of her fair-haired siblings against the dark foliage.
The Oddie Children was exhibited with six other Beechey portraits in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1791. Appointed portraitist to Queen Charlotte in 1793, Beechey also painted her husband, King George III, and the couple’s sons, and gave painting lessons to their daughters. These services to the royal family earned a knighthood for the artist.
Date Label: 1789
Culture: British
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 72 x 71 7/8 in. (182.9 x 182.6 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the State of North Carolina