This painting was formerly dated to 1788, well after Wheatley returned to London from Ireland. However, the date in the lower right probably reads 1782, which means that the painting was completed in Ireland. Like Wheatley's fair scenes from the period, Soldier with Country Women Selling Ribbons fleshes out the mechanics of rural social interactions, and tinges them with eroticism. The soldier's local sweetheart, the young peasant woman standing on the left, selects a sample from the ribbon seller's colorful wares. The group is knit together through color as well as gesture and glance. The ribbons in the basket play off of the vendor's striped skirt, while the red of the sweetheart's cape echoes the red plume in the soldier's helmet, as well as his collar and sleeve trim. During the 1780s Britain was on the brink of war with France. In anticipation of an invasion, the army established large military training camps throughout Britain and Ireland. These encampments became temporary, mobile sites of commerce and sociability for the surrounding populations.
Gallery label for Francis Wheatley (Yale Center for British Art, 2005-08-31 - 2006-02-05)
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