A Village Choir
Über das Gemälde
A Village Choir is an 1847 genre painting by the British artist Thomas Webster. Although produced in the Victorian era, it was inspired by the Regency era work The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon by the American author Washington Irving. Based on the story Christmas Day from the collection, it depicts a traditional church choir in rural England. It became one of Webster's best-known works and was praised by a critic for "it's truth and diversity of character".
The previous year Webster has been elected as a member of the Royal Academy. He displayed the painting at the Academy's annual Summer Exhibition of 1847 at the National Gallery in London. It was acquired by the John Sheepshanks who in 1857 donated it to the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Sheepshanks Gift.
In den Worten des Museums
This work illustrates Washington Irving's 'Christmas Day', from The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1820). His essay was a comical and sentimental account of an old-fashioned village choir and its musicians. The painting was probably Webster's most famous and admired work, critically praised for its 'truth and diversity of character'.
Victoria and Albert Museum
