Ralph Winstanley Wood and His Son, William Warren Wood

In this painting, Ralph Winstanley Wood exhibits the familiar affection that characterized many late-18th-century portraits. Reaching around his son’s back, he draws him close with a kind smile. This physical and psychological closeness shows the influence of the 18th-century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who urged fathers to take responsibility for their sons at an early age. A corresponding painting of the female members of the Wood family, also hanging in this room, shows Mary Margaretta Wood with two of her daughters.