Garden Study of the Vickers Children

Name: Garden Study of the Vickers Children
Summary: Dorothy (ca. 1878–1949) and Billy (1879–1939) were the children of Albert and Edith Vickers, Sargent’s most important British patrons in the 1880s. This is one of several informal portraits Sargent created during his stay at the family’s home in Sussex. The two young children appear in an indeterminate garden setting. Sargent tilts the picture plane and eliminates the horizon to create a flat space. The lilies seem to float on the verdant field, producing a highly decorative effect. The association between children and lilies (a symbol of innocence and purity) places the image in a Victorian context, while the unorthodox composition evokes the work of such diverse artists as Édouard Manet and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Artist: John Singer Sargent
Date: 1884
Topic: Gardens; Impressionism (Art)--United States; Children; Lilies
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 54 3/16 × 36 in. (137.6 × 91.4 cm)
place of creation: Sussex
location of: Metropolitan Museum of Art; New York City
Provenance: Gift of the Viola E. Bray Charitable Trust via Mr. and Mrs. William L. Richards, 1972.47. On loan to the MET from the Flint Institute of Arts
Identifier: 1972.47
Source: MET Museum Collection
Rights