Walking Man, Three Children, and a Cat; verso: Axes and a Gremlin c. 1862 - 1875

Editor: This is William Rimmer's "Walking Man, Three Children, and a Cat." It's a small pencil sketch. What do you see in this piece, beyond the initial figures? Curator: This sketch is incredibly evocative. Rimmer, working in the mid-19th century, was deeply concerned with the human condition. Notice how the "Walking Man" is distinctly separate from the children. What could this separation represent in the context of industrialization and shifting societal roles? Editor: Perhaps it speaks to the changing roles of men as providers, separate from the domestic sphere? Curator: Precisely. And consider the "gremlin" on the verso – a hidden, perhaps darker, aspect of this seemingly innocent scene. Rimmer challenges us to consider the anxieties beneath the surface of everyday life.