Idleness

Idleness is an oil painting on panel by Edward Bird. Its subject matter pays homage to works on similar themes by William Hogarth and to 17th-century Dutch genre scenes of neglected interiors. The single-figure format of the sleeping girl, in particular, draws upon the 18th-century British tradition of the single-figure fancy picture, especially the work of Jean-Baptiste Greuze. This British art genre was a vehicle for the prevailing attitudes of morality and sentiment; whilst we may pity the sleeping servant girl, the painting’s title of Idleness may also invite our condemnation, although it is unclear whether the title comes from Bird or was imposed on the picture later on. Bird was a successful artist who is credited with a pivotal role in the emergence of the so-called Bristol School in about 1820. He excelled in painting domestic, humble scenes, exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy and the British Institution, becoming a full member of the former in 1815 soon after his appointment as Historical Painter to Princess Charlotte in 1813.