In the summer of 1884, John Singer Sargent commenced work on this painting while on a visit to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Vickers in Sussex, England. This composition, one of eleven portraits he painted of the Vickers family, depicts their children, Vincent and Dorothy, amidst stalks of lilies as they water the flowers in a seemingly spontaneous outdoor scene. Earlier this year, this painting was on loan to the Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. While there, a descendant of Vincent Vickers contacted the FIA to request permission to take a photograph in front of the painting (which is normally prohibited).
