Wooded Landscape with Gypsies Gathered Round a Fire
1753/54
Medium
Etching on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Plate: 47.5 × 42.1 cm (18 3/4 × 16 5/8 in.); Sheet: 48.2 × 42.1 cm (19 × 16 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
158988
Art Historical Context
Thomas Gainsborough's *Wooded Landscape with Gypsies Gathered Round a Fire* (1753/54) the artist's early fascination with the English countryside, blending pastoral beauty with a touch of rustic drama. At just 26 or 27 years old, Gainsborough—a leading figure in 18th-century British art known for his fluid Rococo landscapes and portraits—depicts a serene wooded scene illuminated by a central campfire, where travelers huddle in camaraderie. This etching evokes the Romantic ideal of unspoiled nature and wandering folk, reflecting growing 18th-century interest in everyday rural life amid industri...
About the Artist
Thomas Gainsborough · 1727–1788
Thomas Gainsborough was born on 14 May 1727 in Sudbury, Suffolk, the youngest of nine children to wool dealer John Gainsborough and his wife Mary. Demonstrating prodigious talent from childhood, he sketched landscapes in the local woods and fields, fostering his lifelong passion for the genre. At age thirteen, he moved to London, where he trained under the French engraver and illustrator Hubert-Fr...