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My Daily Art

Sir John Everett Millais. Afternoon Tea (The Gossips), 1889. oil on canvas, 104.5 x 133.3 cm. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of the Everett Family from the Everett Collection, in memory of Patricia Everett, 2009-334.

The British painter John Everett Millais (1829-1896) gave his painting “Afternoon Tea” in the WAG collection the subtitle “The Gossips”.

Perhaps it was because he saw these children as not just playing adults but already assuming some of the gravity of being grown-ups. The artist’s paintings of children were greatly admired; and as one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England, capturing elements of the innocence and pathos of childhood was a common theme in Victorian painting.

At the WAG, we exhibited Millais’s work next to George Agnew Reid’s “The Story” – pairing the three girls with the five boys, all of them at play. Maybe it was just kids wanting to be kids.

While the WAG is temporarily closed, your collection is still here for you. Stay connected with the art through daily posts from our Director & CEO, Dr. Stephen Borys.

This is a series of daily posts that will continue until the Gallery reopens. Follow along on InstagramFacebook, and Twitter, or visit our stories section.

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4 thoughts on "My Daily Art"

Penny Vatnsdal says:

Thank you WAG for these daily posts- just heard about them on CBC today. Missing my visits to the gallery so this virtual viewings are wonderful.

Winnipeg Art Gallery says:

Glad you’re enjoying the posts Penny! We’re happy to share the collection virtually with our community!

Juanita Giesbrecht says:

Very much enjoying “My Daily Art.” I always love seeing the Millais work “Afternoon Tea” or “The Gossips,” as it is often called.

Susan Knox says:

Afternoon Tea/The Gossips is one of my favourite pieces in WAG, probably because it was the subject of my interpretation in Art in Bloom. Thank you, Stephen, for giving me yet another insight into Millais’s wonderful work.

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