Do You Want Any Matches?

Anthony Cardon after Francis Wheatley

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a woman and a young boy standing on a street. The woman is upright, slightly turned to her right, with her head looking back towards the viewer. She has fair skin, a delicate nose, rosy cheeks, and rosy lips. Her hair is covered by a wide-brimmed bonnet tied under her chin, with some of her brown hair visible. She wears a dress with a blue skirt and a mauve top covered by a white apron. She holds a small bundle or packet in her hand and carries a wicker basket on her left arm. The young boy stands next to her, facing the viewer with his mouth open. He has medium-length brown hair and wears a rust-brown jacket over a white shirt with blue shorts and a large dark hat. He clasps his hands around the basket strap hanging at his side. A brown and white dog stands beside them on the cobblestone road. In the background, there is a partial view of a carriage with large wheels on the left side, and grand stone columns of a building on the right side. The sky is partly cloudy with patches of blue visible.