Olivia Returns to Her Family
Francis Wheatley serves up a heavy dose of 18th-century drama here, illustrating a poignant scene from Oliver Goldsmith’s hit novel *The Vicar of Wakefield*. We see the disgraced daughter Olivia returning home in a faint, supported by a young man, while her family—including a solemn father and a mother clutching a baby—reacts with shock and pity in their humble, brick-walled cottage. This kind of 'sentimental' art was the blockbuster entertainment of its day, designed to make viewers cry and reflect on themes of forgiveness and family redemption.
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