Painting
Oil on panel
61 cm × 91 cm (24 in × 36 in)

Wikimedia Commons

The Departure to London is an 1815 genre paintingPaintings that depict scenes of ordinary people going about their everyday lives. by the English artist Edward Bird.[1] Bird was a member of the Bristol School, and was known for his depictions of everyday life in Regency England. The painting was displayed at the 1815 Royal Academy Exhibition at Somerset House, and was praised by The New Monthly Magazine as “a happy expression of affectionate sentiment”.[2]

The painting shows a young man taking leave of his family before travelling to London to try and make his fortune. By the window a young boy points excitedly at the arriving stage coach.[2] The women on the left are packing food and belongings, and the father is handing over a letter of introduction to his son.[3]

In 2000 The Departure to London was sold at Christie’s in London for £18,400,[4] and since 2015 has been in the collection of the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.[3]

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