Scene from Vanity Fair: "Jos and Becky"

Art Historical Context

This delicate watercolor over graphite, titled *Scene from Vanity Fair:Jos and Becky"*, captures a pivotal moment from William Makepeace Thackeray acclaimed 1848 novel *Vanity Fair*. Created between 1848 and 1880 by Jerry Barret in collaboration with Thackeray, it depicts the charming yet scheming Becky Sharp and the affable Jos Sedley—key figures in Thackeray's satirical portrayal of 19th-century British society. The intimate 7 x 5-inch sheet, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, reflects the era's growing fascination with illustrated novels, where visual storytelling amplified literary critique. Barret's technique—graphite underdrawing enhanced with translucent watercolor layers—brings subtle emotional nuance to the characters' interactions, highlighting Becky's manipulative allure and Jos's naive vulnerability. This medium was ideal for book illustrations, allowing for quick yet expressive sketches that could be reproduced via etching. As part of The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, it exemplifies Victorian-era draftsmanship, bridging literature and fine art. Culturally, the artwork underscores *Vanity Fair*'s enduring legacy as a sharp commentary on class, ambition, and morality, with Becky Sharp emerging as one of literature's most iconic antiheroines. Visitors can appreciate how such drawings brought Thackeray's "novel without a hero" to vivid life for a wide readership.

About the Artist

Jerry Barret|William Makepeace Thackeray (British|British) · 1824 |1811 –1906 |1863

British, 1824–1906|British, Calcutta 1811–1863 London