A Family Group in a Landscape
- Artist: Francis Wheatley
- Date: c.1775
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1016 x 1270 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “A Family Group in a Landscape” by Francis Wheatley, painted around 1775. The canvas, finished in oil, captures a sunny country scene that feels almost candid – the family is strolling together, no stiff poses, just a relaxed afternoon. Yet Wheatley has carefully arranged the figures to show hierarchy: the eldest lady takes the central spot, the gentleman stands beside her, children play in front, and a young boy with a kite is tucked at the edge.
What's really striking is the inclusion of a young Black boy, wearing bright red clothing and holding a kite. In the light of the era, his presence in shadow and slightly detached from the rest hints at the complex status of free and enslaved African servants in 18th‑century Britain. He’s included, perhaps, to signal the family’s wealth and cosmopolitan reach.
The painting also offers a gentle study of leisure: a kite flies, a dog trots, the tree‑lined horizon stretches out. It reflects the 18th‑century taste for pastoral idylls, but with an undercurrent of social nuance that invites us to look beyond the surface.
See it in person
A Family Group in a Landscape is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
