Artwork
Cottages
Cottages is a drawing by William Mulready. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
William Mulready’s drawing titled Cottages, executed around 1850, is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection. The work presents a brief, informal study of two modest stone dwellings set in a snow‑covered yard, rendered in a loose, sketch‑like manner.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts two simple rural houses under a blanket of snow. One roof slopes steeply, bearing a heavy accumulation of snow, while the other features a wooden door and a curtained window. A solitary figure shovels snow near the second house, emphasizing the quiet, everyday labor of winter life.
Technique & Style
Mulready employs rapid, sketchy lines to suggest texture: the roughness of stone walls, the weight of snow on the roof, and the soft drifts on the ground. The drawing relies on minimal shading, using line density to convey depth rather than detailed modeling, creating an unembellished, observational tone.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1850, the drawing entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s holdings at an unspecified date. Its attribution to Mulready, a prolific 19th‑century illustrator, aligns with his known practice of producing quick studies of domestic scenes.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Mulready was an Irish genre painter living in London. He is best known for his romanticising depictions of rural scenes, and for creating Mulready stationery letter sheets, issued at the same time as the Penny Black postage stamp.
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