Old Shepherd: Bedo Philpott. At Home by Robert Taylor Pritchett (1828–1907). 1868. Pen-and-ink. Shown at the "Drawing Esher" exhibition of R. T. Pritchett's pen-and-ink drawings, held at the Civic Offices in Esher, Surrey, 31 January - 21 September 2023. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
This is another of Pritchett's sympathetic portraits of local characters, this time with his name given. Bedo Philpott, the elderly shepherd in his old-fashioned smock is studying the morning paper by the stove, with a rather nice Grandfather clock behind him. His shepherd's crook and (possibly) dog whistle hang on a nail on the wall, and a map of England, a couple of pictures and some bric-à-brac decorate the room. It is likely that the object to the right on the shelf above him is a weather-house to predict the weather. The loving attention to detail here is all part of the artist's respect for the rural life, very much in tune with the zeitgeist.
Photograph, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee; photograph reproduced here by kind permission of Elmbridge Museum and the Civic Offices, Esher.
Bibliography
"Robert Taylor Pritchett Sketch." Elmbridge Museum. https://elmbridgemuseum.org.uk/objects-in-focus/robert-taylor-pritchett-sketch/
Created 10 September 2023