The Hoppner Children

John Hoppner

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows three children in a natural setting. The child on the right is standing, visible from head to toe, while the two children on the left are seated in the grass. The standing child is positioned slightly turned to the left, with their arms folded across their chest. They have light brown, wavy hair that falls around their face, which has soft features and light complexion. This child is dressed in a russet-colored outfit with a ruffled white collar, white socks, and dark shoes. The seated child on the far left faces toward the standing child and has long, tousled, light-brown hair and a fair complexion. They are nude and sitting on a white cloth draped over the grass. The other seated child, sitting between the other two with their head turned to the left, wears a light garment partially draped over their shoulders and also has wavy, light-brown hair. The background includes trees with fall-colored foliage, a reflective stream running beside the children, and distant, cloudy skies.