The Two Central Figures in "Derby Day"
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
18 x 12 1/2 in. (45.7 x 31.8 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2008
Accession Number
2008.547.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of William Powell Frith's monumental 1858 masterpiece *Derby Day*—a vibrant panorama of Victorian society at the Epsom Derby horse race—stand two captivating central figures: a stylishly dressed woman and her companion. This intimate 1860 oil sketch, measuring just 18 x 12½ inches, isolates them for closer study, showcasing Frith's meticulous preparatory process. Gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2008, it invites us into the bustling energy of mid-19th-century England, where high society mingled with the working class amid the thrill of the races. Frith, a leading Victo...