1786 -1863 · London, Royal Academy and Everyday Theater

Mischievous children, caring families and literary stories make William Mulready a refined observer of emerging Victorian society.

William Mulready was born in Ennis, Ireland, in 1786 and died in London in 1863. His family moved to the British capital as a child. Gifted at drawing, he entered the Royal Academy Schools at a very young age and received training based on figures, master copying and large composition. His first landscapes soon gave way to genre scenes which ensured his reputation. Elected associate of the Royal Academy in 1815 then academician the following year, Mulready became one of the most admired narrative painters of his time. Elected associate of the Royal Academy in 1815 then academician the following year, Mulready became one of the most admired narrative painters of his time. Elected associate of the Royal Academy in 1815 then academician the following year, Mulready became one of the most admired narrative painters of his time. Elected associate of the Royal Academy in 1815 then academician the following year, Mulready became one of the most admired narrative painters of his time. Elected associate of the Royal Academy in 1815 then academician the following year, Mulready became one of the most admired narrative painters of his time. Elected associate of the Royal Academy in 1815 social tensions. His paintings are constructed like stories in several stages: a secondary look, a hand placed on a piece of furniture or a discreetly placed object reveals what has just happened and announces what happens next. In The Choice of the Wedding Dress, inspired by Oliver Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield, fabrics, attitudes and looks orchestrate the sentimental hesitation around marriage. Instructing the child transforms a domestic lesson into a study of attention, transmission and moral awakening. Mulready excels in the rendering of fabrics, flesh and interiors, but his virtuosity remains at the service of psychology. He also works for publishing and illustrates children's books, including popular stories aimed at young people. His name remains associated with the postal reform of 1840: he designed the official illustrated envelope known as the "Mulready stationery", quickly parodied then removed, but which became a milestone in British graphic history. For almost half a century, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and developed a painting where feeling, humor, social observation and meticulous finish compose a true everyday dramaturgy. For almost half a century, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and developed a painting where feeling, humor, social observation and meticulous finish compose a true dramaturgy of everyday life. For almost half a century, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and developed a painting where feeling, humor, social observation and meticulous finish make up a true dramaturgy of everyday life. For almost half a century, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and developed a painting where feeling, humor, social observation and meticulous finish make up a true dramaturgy of everyday life. For almost half a century, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and developed a painting where feeling, humor, social observation and meticulous finish make up a true dramaturgy of everyday life. The "William Mulready" selection notably compares The Choice of the Wedding Dress and

Mulready makes the domestic interior a small theater stage where the slightest glance completes the story.