Master John Crewe
Artist/Maker
John Raphael Smith
(English, 1751–1812)
afterafter
Sir Joshua Reynolds
(English, 1723–1792)
Date1776
MediumMezzotint
DimensionsImage: 19 3/4 × 13 7/8 in. (50.2 × 35.2 cm)
Sheet: 20 5/16 × 15 5/16 in. (51.6 × 38.9 cm)
Sheet: 20 5/16 × 15 5/16 in. (51.6 × 38.9 cm)
Credit LineAnnie A. Wager Bequest
Object number1975.110
Status
Not on viewThis boy’s future role in the ruling elite is evident in his opulent clothing and confident stance. Although he holds a dagger and is presented as a miniature adult, his widened eyes and joyful expression allude to an understanding of childhood as a state distinct from adulthood, a development occurring during the second half of the 18th century. A profusion of children’s toys, games, and educational initiatives in Britain during this period led one historian to call it a “new world of children.” Contemporary philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau advocated for a child’s autonomy and self-discipline as a means for developing them into socially responsible modern individuals.
Exhibition History
Investigating Romanticism, 1750-1850: A Century of Contrasts
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (October 28, 1980 - November 23, 1980 )
Eighteenth-Century English Prints
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (June 19, 1987 - July 19, 1987 )
Transformation: Images of Childhood and Adolescence
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (September 1, 2015 - December 23, 2015 )
Cute
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 9, 2021 - July 2, 2021 )
Collections
- European
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mid-20th century
1938