| Sir Francis Ford's Children Giving a Coin to a Beggar Boy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | William Beechey |
| Year | 1793 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, portrait |
| Dimensions | 180 cm× 150 cm(71 in× 59 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain, London |
Sir Francis Ford's Children Giving a Coin to a Beggar Boy is a 1793 portrait painting by the British artist William Beechey. It shows two well-dressed children of Sir Francis Ford passing a coin to a beggar. [1] Ford was a wealthy owner of plantations in the West Indies and it has been suggested that the image may have reinforced an argument that the poor of Britain were less cared for-than the slaves in the Caribbean. [2] This came at a time when abolitionist sentiment was growing amongst the British public.
Beechey was a noted portraitist and member of the Royal Academy. The painting was displayed at the Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1783 at Somerset House.It is in the collection of Tate Britain in London, having been acquired in 1993. [3]
