Thomas Gainsborough was a leading English painter of the 18th century.This painting is classified as a "fancy picture.There is no precise definition of "fancy picture," but it is said to be a painting that depicts people (especially children) in a way that appeals to the emotions of the viewer. This painting depicts poor rural children. Gainsborough's Fancy Pictures primarily depict poor but idealistic farmers posed as if they were in a photo studio rather than in the countryside.More recently, however, it has sometimes been interpreted as representing the "misery" of rural poverty.