Afternoon Rest

Joshua L. Shaw (1777–1860)

ca. 1825

Oil on canvas

Gift of Sewell C. Biggs; 1996.18

An English immigrant, Joshua Shaw brought the British interest in idealized landscapes to Philadelphia. Afternoon Rest features a scene of gentle nature, complete with a pastoral group of children playing with a shepherding dog. Even though this work was probably painted in the Mid-Atlantic region where Shaw lived and worked, it was not painted to represent any specific local scene. Instead, Shaw strove to represent a natural paradise reminiscent of ancient wall paintings.