Richard Redgrave
British, 1804 ‑ 1888
Going to Service, 1843
Oil on canvas
31 × 39 3/4 × 1 in. (78.7 × 101 × 2.5 cm.)
Gift of the Charter Collectors  1994.12

What’s the Back Story?
Redgrave was one of the first Victorian artists to use his paintings to draw attention to contemporary social ills. Going to Service details the all-too-common plight of poor, unmarried country girls forced to find work in the city to support their families. The girl in this painting, identified by a label on her trunk as “Jane Homelove,” bids farewell to her sick, widowed mother and younger sister. She prepares to leave for London, where she has found employment as a servant. Outside waits a carriage filled with girls also seeking work in the city. Those unable to find jobs may fall into prostitution, an ominous fate implied by the broadside pinned to the wall featuring an image of St. Paul’s Cathedral, a landmark that appeared in many Victorian paintings of prostitutes. Can you spot the other warning signs that Redgrave placed in his picture?