Oil paint on canvas
Tate Britain
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Henry Tate Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/lady-dorothy-stanley-520" aria-label="More by Lady Dorothy Stanley" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Lady Dorothy Stanley</a>
His First Offence
Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1897
actions: postures and motions
boy
children
court
crime and punishment
criminal
interiors
people
public and municipal
society
standing
trial
<p>Dorothy Stanley was well-known for painting London street children. She sketched them in all kinds of activities; ‘walking along the streets you can learn far more than in your studio’. This boy is one of several that Stanley got to know and employed as regular models for her paintings. The court setting recalls literary characters such as Oliver Twist and reflects public concerns and campaigns that were slowly reforming child justice. However, the title reference to a ‘first offence’ distinguishes this boy from repeat offenders, to appeal to popular prejudices about the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor.</p><p><em>Gallery label, May 2023</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
1 December 2007 – 15 June 2008
2008-06-15
1 December 2007 – 24 March 2008
2008-03-24
2007-12-01
National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth, UK)
http://www.llgc.org.uk
19 April 2008 – 1 June 2008
2008-06-01
2008-04-19
Royal Cambrian Academy (Conwy, UK)
26 July 2008 – 9 November 2008
2008-11-09
2008-07-26
Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales (Cardiff, UK)
13 December 2008 – 15 February 2009
2009-02-15
2008-12-13
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery (Swansea, UK)
2007-12-01
Winifred Coombe Tennant: A Life through Art
Loan-out
19 May 2012 – 2 December 2012
2012-12-02
19 May 2012 – 2 December 2012
2012-12-02
2012-05-19
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2012-05-19
Victorian Sentimentality
Collection based display
His First Offence
support: 629 × 343 mm
frame: 812 × 534 × 85 mm
Presented by <a href="/search?gid=999999962" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Sir Henry Tate</a> 1897
<div><p><span>Dorothy Stanley was well-known for painting London street children. She sketched them in all kinds of activities, ‘walking along the streets you can learn far more than in your studio’. This boy is one of several that Stanley got to know and employed as regular models for her paintings. The court setting recalls literary characters such as Oliver Twist and reflects public concerns and campaigns that were slowly reforming child justice. However, the title reference to a ‘first offence’ distinguishes this boy from repeat offenders, to appeal to popular prejudices about the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor.</span></p></div>
Online caption
2024-04-22T00:00:00
online-caption
ONLINE_CAPTION
<p><b>N01567</b> HIS FIRST OFFENCE 1896</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Inscr. ‘Dorothy Stanley 1896’ b.r.
<br/>Canvas, 24 3/4×13 1/2 (63×34).
<br/>Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1897.
<br/><i>Exh:</i> New Gallery, 1896 (11).
<br/><i>Repr:</i> Sir Edward J. Poynter, <i>The National Gallery</i>, III, 1900, p.267.</p>
<p>One of the artist's characteristic studies of a small boy brought up before a magistrate.</p>
<p><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin Butlin, <i>The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture</i>, London 1964, II
<br/></p>

Catalogue entry
2004-07-16T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
actions: postures and motions boy children court crime and punishment criminal interiors people public and municipal society standing trial