Last in Market, detail (1883) by Ralph Hedley (1848–1913), Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Country children often had to make long journeys to market, setting off very often early. This small boy has fallen asleep on the carrier’s cart that will take him home at the end of the day. Ralph Hedley recorded that the picture was intended to represent the Bigg Market in Newcastle. However, he painted it in his studio (in Blackett Street), rather than in the market. The model for the boy was the brother of an apprentice in the Hedley family woodcarving workshop.
