And When Did You Last See Your Father
1878
In this tense historical drama, a young boy in a blue suit stands on a cushion to face a panel of stern interrogators during the English Civil War. The men, Parliamentarian soldiers, are asking him a deadly trap question: 'When did you last see your father?' If the boy answers honestly and admits his Royalist father (the bound man in the background) was recently there, the father could be executed for treason. The women of the family watch in silent horror, knowing the child's innocent answer could seal his father's fate. Yeames masterfully captures this moment of high-stakes psychological pressure, leaving the viewer wondering what the boy will say next.
Location: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
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