Schoolgirls

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Artist: George Clausen (British, 1852–1944)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 20 1/2 x 30 3/8 inches (52.1 x 77.2 cm)
Museum: Yale Center for British Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Clausen’s street scene is a commentary on class in the late nineteenth century, the artist drawing our attention in particular to women’s social roles. With the eldest pupils at the head of the line, the schoolgirls pass a woman carrying heavy pails of milk on her shoulders and a flower seller who offers her wares from a basket. The hands of these working women are bare and their clothing is simple and practical, while the middle-class girls wear gloves and modish apparel. All but two of the students appear to ignore the outreached hand of the flower seller, a detail that underscores the distinctions between them.

Text: Yale Center for British Art.