- Artist
- George Morland 1763–1804
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 406 × 505 mm
frame: 533 × 627 × 70 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Bequeathed by Ernest E. Cook through the Art Fund 1955
- Reference
- T00055
Summary
In George Morland’s The Tea Garden 1790, a family are having tea in a public garden. One corner of the table is almost in the centre of the composition, angled to allow us to see all the occupants. In the foreground a young boy and girl play with a spaniel. On the left of the table are two men, one seated while the other stands to serve biscuits. The two women seated at the table wear contrasting black and white. The woman wearing the large black hat is perhaps a widow. The white clothing of the woman in the foreground, meanwhile, echoes that of her daughter and the baby in her arms.
The party sit under a tree canopy, its branches curling with the confines of the oval canvas. The tree and group direct the viewer’s eye to a male server, who approaches with a teapot. Behind the server, in the distance, a family passes by a pergola. The natural, craggy branches of the tree contrast with the manicured lawns and ornamental pond, which have been created for human pleasure. Pleasure gardens proliferated in the eighteenth century and were a popular leisure activity. It has been previously suggested that The Tea Garden was set at Bagnigge Wells or Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea, however there were many other tea gardens in London.
The distinctive oval canvas, dimensions and composition makes it a likely companion to Morland’s St James’s Park 1788–90 (Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, B.2001.2.11). St James’s Park depicts a family having refreshments under the canopy of a tree, drinking milk provided by a milkmaid and her cow. The gentrified family of The Tea Garden are here replaced by a soldier, his wife, three children, and a King Charles Cavalier spaniel, resting on benches in a more open landscape.
The Tea Garden was probably painted in 1790, when it was first engraved by François David Soiron (1764–after 1796) and published by Thomas Gaugain (1756–c.1810) (Yale Center for British Art B1985.36.1385). The dimensions of the print are nearly identical to the canvas, suggesting that the painting was produced for reproduction, perhaps even commissioned by Gaugain. Furthermore, Soiron’s print retains the same composition as the painting, which is unusual because the engraving process typically results in a mirrored composition.
Morland painted for the print trade throughout his career, which provided him with public exposure and a consistent income. He likely created The Tea Garden and St James’s Park in Buckingham Court in London’s Charing Cross, where he was in lodgings until January 1790, the same month the print was published (Alexander et al., 66.). They were possibly commissioned to be reproduced as a set for the public to collect. The popularity of the prints meant they were republished several times over the following century. Morland’s paintings and prints were so popular that several galleries were established bearing his name.
Morland is known for his scenes of the countryside and rural life, such as Roadside Inn 1790 (Tate N02641). Although a very different scene, The Tea Garden features motifs associated with Morland’s rural scenes, such as a tree defining the composition, a faithful dog, and a horse, although presented here in miniature in the form of a child’s toy. The leisured, urban family of The Tea Gardens contrasts with the plight of the rural destitute family in the foreground of Roadside Inn. The affluence of the family in The Tea Garden is not only captured in their leisure pursuit, but in their dog, toys and the discarded bonnet. Their silk clothing, the China tea pot, tea and pergola would have been imported from around the globe and consumed within a single city.
Further reading
David Alexander, ‘George Morland and the Print Market’ in David Alexander, Kerry Bristol and Nick Grindle, George Morland: Art, Traffic and Society in Late Eighteenth Century England, Leeds 2015, pp.33–47.
Marian Kamlish, George Morland: A London Artist in Eighteenth-Century Camden, London 2008, pp.86–91.
Rhian Addison McCreanor
December 2022
Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.
Explore
- architecture(30,960)
-
- garden structures(1,939)
-
- park(320)
- eating and drinking(409)
-
- tea party(55)
- clothing and personal items(5,879)
-
- hat, bonnet(211)
- tea set(12)
- horse(11)
- UK countries and regions(24,355)
-
- England(19,202)