The Butterfly

Replete with symbolism, as the delicate butterfly prepares to take wing, this charming picture of childhood innocence marked a new departure for Hicks. He was initially celebrated as a painter of crowd scenes painted in the manner of William Powell Frith. The General Post Office, One Minute to Six (1860, Museum of London), is one such example. However, these multi-figured compositions took too long to complete to be a viable commercial proposition, and Hicks soon transitioned to painting single figures. He had a particular talent for painting children, and soon became a sought after portraitist. The butterfly became a leitmotif in many of these compositions, but few capture the delight of the child seen here, encountering a Red Admiral on a rose, by chance basking in the sun.