Restored by Joseph Clark (1834-1926), shown (right) in its frame. 1861. H 20 1/4 x W 17 in., with frame, H 29 1/2 W x 26 1/2 in. Reproduced here by kind permission of Uno Langmann Ltd., Vancouver BC, Canada (www.langmann.com).
Like its companion piece, The Wanderer, the painting was engraved by Butterworth and Heath for James Dafforne's article on Clark in The Art-Journal, where Dafforne commented, "the wanderer is restored to its home, the mother welcoming her child, and the old cat her abducted kitten; the gentleman points with his umbrella to the spot where the truant was found" (51).
Dafforne does not mention something that emerges much more clearly in this "sequel" to the The Wanderer: the class difference here. The well-dressed gentleman and his daughter with her flounced parasol (though that is not in evidence now) are obviously from a very different station in life to the little girl's family, whose room, in its rustic setting, has cracked flagging and bare walls. This is paternalism in action. The gentleman's pointing with his umbrella may even serve to rebuke the mother who apparently was unaware of the child's absence — certainly, she was not out looking for her. The little girl's shoe has been restored, like the child herself. The ending of this little story is still a very happy one, and the paintings make a touching pair. But a modern audience might sense a social comment in the obvious discrepancy between the lives of the families involved. Clark's work seems always to have this undertow, not of pretty sentimentality but of sympathy — which surely enhances its value for us today.
The original work, like its companion piece, Restored, is for auction with Uno Langmann Ltd. at the time of writing. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
Dafforne, James. "British Artists: Their Style and Character, No. LXIII: Joseph Clark." The Art-Journal Vol. 2, issue 15 (March 1863): 49-51. Internet Archive. Web. 22 November 2024.
"Joseph Clark, R.O.I. (British 1834-1926)." Uno Langmann. Web. 22 November 2024.
Created 22 November 2024