Outside an Inn, Winter
- Artist: George Morland
- Date: c.1795
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 718 x 921 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Outside an Inn, Winter” by George Morland, painted around 1795. The scene opens on a cold, snow‑dusted evening: a well‑clad traveller, his thick coat and shiny top hat marking his affluence, is just leaving an inn. A child, barefoot and peeking from the doorway, watches the exchange, while the innkeeper—simple, wrapped in layers, and keeping a pig for food—shakes hands with the traveller. The contrast between the wealthy guest and the humble host, along with the stark surroundings, underscores the hardship of rural life.
Morland, a prolific 18th‑century artist famous for rustic country scenes, often recycled familiar compositions to meet the demand of a popular market. This painting echoes an earlier print and features the recurring motif of a doorway exchange that appears throughout his work. Though small in scale—just over 70 cm tall—its quick brushwork suggests it was completed in haste, perhaps to keep pace with his output.
Overall, “Outside an Inn, Winter” invites viewers to contemplate the social dynamics of country life and the quiet dignity of everyday people amid a harsh, wintry landscape.
See it in person
Outside an Inn, Winter is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
