The Sliver Age

John Raphael Smith|Henry Walton|John Raphael Smith|William Humphrey|John Boydell

January 30, 1778 · Mezzotint; second state of two · Drawings and Prints

Based on a painting by Henry Walton, this print was published as a companion to Benjamin West’s "The Golden Age" (47.100.487). The two titles evoke early periods of human society described by ancient authors such as Hesiod and Ovid. Peace had prevailed in the preceding Golden Age when humans needed to do little work and mingled freely with the Olympian gods. But, in the following Silver Age, strife dominated society and labor became necessary for survival. As translated into eighteenth-century England, that decline is embodied by a weary market girl who has set down her heavy basket of chickens. Smith’s title alerts us to the underlying moral message that criticizes child labor.

Artist

John Raphael Smith|Henry Walton|John Raphael Smith|William Humphrey|John Boydell

Date

January 30, 1778

Medium

Mezzotint; second state of two

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953