May-day painted and exhibited at the British Institution in 1812. Sold for 150 guineas (£157.50) to the Reverend Sir S C Jervoise, who owned land in West Bromwich near Birmingham.. It is currently in the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut, a gift of Jean M Harford.. |
May Day celebrations were often boisterous and chimney sweeps traditionally dressed up and danced through the streets demanding money. The picture also shows a young woman with a May Doll, covered by a cloth, and demanding a penny to see it.