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William Orpen , Irish, 1878-1931

Title

The Wash House

Date1905

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions

91 x 73 cm

Signedlower right: Orpen, 1905

Credit LineBequeathed, 1931

Object numberNGI.946

ProvenanceAgnew; Lt. Col. Hutchinson Poe; bequeathed, Lady Poe, 1931 Exhibition HistoryRoyal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, 1913

William Orpen 1878-1931, A Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1 November -15 December 1978

When Time began to Rant and Rage. Twentieth Century Figurative Paintings from Ireland, The Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, 10 February - 1 May 1999; The Grey Art Gallery, New York, 25 May - 24 July 1999

William Orpen Politics, Sex and Death, Imperial War Museum, London, 27 January 2005 - 2 May 2005; National Gallery of Ireland, 1 June 2005 - 28 August 2005
Label TextOrpen met Lottie Stafford, the model for the main figure in this painting, in 1904, while she was working as a washerwoman in the slum cottages of Paradise Walk in Chelsea. Boasting a striking physical presence, confidence and wit, she subsequently became one of Orpen’s, and other artists’, favourite models. This painting drew universal acclaim when exhibited in London in 1906, with some critics comparing it to the work of Velázquez.