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Uncle Toby and Widow Wadman

Image credit: The Laurence Sterne Trust

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This painting shows two of the characters in Sterne's 'Tristram Shandy', Uncle Toby and the Widow Wadman. Inscribed on the stretcher is the note: 'This was a sketch only but C. R. Leslie finished it for me in May 1848'. It is believed that the model for Uncle Toby was the actor Jack Bannister (1760–1836) a great friend of Leslie’s. This was Leslie’s most famous composition which he painted several times. For the Victorians the image became an instantly recognisable symbol of flirtatiousness. The situation represented is that of Widow Wadman inviting Uncle Toby to help her remove an object from her eye. Uncle Toby is mesmerised by the proximity of the Widow’s beauty which causes the old soldier to fall head-over-heels in love with her.

Shandy Hall

York

Title

Uncle Toby and Widow Wadman

Date

1831

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 35.6 x W 24.8 cm

Accession number

CCWSH1150

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

This was a sketch only but CR Leslie finished it f

Normally on display at

Shandy Hall

Coxwold, York, North Yorkshire YO61 4AD England

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