James Collinson 1825-1881 Oil on panel

Collinson was one of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Although this painting does not reflect their techniques, it shares their pre-occupation with modern-life subjects, most prevalent in the early 1850s.

It shows a family gathered together to write back to a friend or relation who has emigrated to Australia. Over a million people had emigrated in the ten years before Collins painted this picture. Hence, it was a subject of great interest to the public.

The cottage interior looks realistic, not idealised. Similarly, the fact that a boy is drafting the reply, and not his less-educated parents, has the ring of truth.