141 "THE VILLAGE SHOP"
by Robert Gemmell Hutchison (1855-1936)

There is something particularly enchanting about this painting, yet it first appears to be very grey and dull. Three small children passing by, stop to peer into the window of this very shabby little junk shop, probably lying at the end of their village. Its dark interesting windows must possess something very appealing inside, but just what is it?

From outside, the sooty stone walls, peeling paint and muddy path all point to the feeling of poverty and perhaps even unfriendliness. None of these frightens nor deters these attractive children from being so allured, quite the contrary. Something is far more distracting and we can only guess at what it might be. The "witches ball", with its mysterious inverted and rainbow-like reflection may have beckoned with its all-seeing eye. Is it this which is riveting the little boy? But the girls have found something even more captivating. Could it be a black cat fast asleep and just out of sight? Perhaps they have just spotted a suitable present for a grandma's birthday?

Our attraction in this scene is of their fascination alone. It is probably the unspoken delight of seeing little children steadfastly gazing, and the excitement of shop windows we all remember from our own childhood. What can be so attractive to them. To understand what is happening, we have to step closer and listen to what they are saying.

One girl is saying to the other, "Look at that, how much will it cost? Do you think we have enough money to buy it now? She would love it" They have something to dream about ... but what? The two little girls are not sisters. Their hair and style of clothes are too different - but they are the best friends. The boy, the younger brother of one of the girls, is a solitary little boy, probably in their charge. Is he is still trying to fathom out this mysterious glass "Witches' ball"?

Robert G. Hutchison was a Scottish genre and portrait painter. Born in Edinburgh, he studied at the Board of Manufacturers School of Art and began to exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1880. He painted children, homely domestic scenes, sailors, workmen and landscapes. He made sketching trips to Holland and was influenced by several dutch artists, such as Isaac Israels and Blommens. In contrast to some other Victorian painters of children, his work is distinguished by contrasting sentimentality with harsh reality, literal and realistic, as demonstrated in "The Village Shop"