The Labourers is an oil on panel painting by the British artist George Stubbs, from 1779. it is held in Upton House in Warwickshire.National Trust Collections
History and description It depicts a group of labourers who have just unloaded some bricks from the back of a cart. The composition is divided in two, with the more old-fashioned traditions of the rural labourers on the left and the modern country estate with fencing and a new lodge on the right.National Trust Collections
This was the second, much larger version, Stubbs produced of a similar scene with this title. The earlier work had been produced for Lord Torrington and made reference to the brickworks he had established at Southill in Bedfordshire. This later painting was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1779 held at Somerset House in London, where it was well-received.Egerton p.418 Today the painting is in the collection of Upton House, in Warwickshire, overseen by the National Trust since 1948. Stubb s also produced a replica of this work on enamel for Josiah Wedgwood in 1781.National Trust CollectionsArt UK
References
Bibliography Egerton, Judy. George Stubbs, Painter. Yale University Press, 2007 Kidson, Alex. George Stubbs: A Celebration. Tate Publishing, 2006.