Description from North East Museums web site:

A woman prepares to give a small child a piggy-back ride. The Victorians loved sentimental pictures, such as this, which present an artificial, idyllic view of the life of poor working people. The fishergirl has time to play, and the little girl is well fed and clean. The picture may be intended to show a scene near the fishing village of Cullercoats, where Robert Jobling painted many scenes. He was an important figure in early 20th century North East art.

Object description
Type: Easel Painting
Location: South Shields Museum, Tyne & Wear
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Robert Jobling (1841-1923)
Date: 1883

Image Details
Date: 24 July 2025
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO: 125
Licensing: Image of a North East Museums asset. This image cannot be licensed.

Robert Jobling painted this picture during the time he was a member of the Cullercoats Colony of artists. The title of his painting is a quotation from the poem The Day is Done by the American writer Henry Longfellow, published 1844. These are the first two verses:

The day is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.
I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o’er me
That my soul cannot resist.

Provenance: Gift from Mrs R. Robson, 1931

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Robert Jobling (1841–1923)
Date: 1886

Image Details
Date: 15 April 2023
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/37s
ISO: 400
Licensing: Image of a North East Museums asset. This image cannot be licensed.