The Dustman's Dog (1818) by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-73). Source: “Studies and Sketches by Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A.” (1875): 290. “Lent by George Gurney, Esq., East Dulwich” Formatting and text by George P. Landow. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Hathi Trust and the University of Michigan and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document, or cite it in a print one.]

Commentary in the Art-Journal

We have outlived the days when the dustman proclaimed his presence in the streets of the metropolis by the ringing of a hell, but when Landseer made his sketch—it is in pencil, and was drawn at the age of fourteen—the man was never without such a musical accompaniment; it was, as it were, the badge of his occupation, and in this pictorial study we have his dog, lying on an old mat, keeping watch and ward over the bell, while his master is, in all probability, busy emptying the dustbin. Underneath the drawing the boy-artist has appended the title of the subject in a handwriting still unformed, thereby testifying to his youthfulness. [291-92]

Bibliography

“Studies and Sketches by Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A.” Art-Journal (1875): 289-92. Hathi Trust version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 24 March 2014


Last modified 26 March 2014