The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Dog Walker

early 1830s

British India, Lucknow

gum tempera and ink on paper
Overall: 22.2 x 15.9 cm (8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in.)
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 1992.143
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

William Ward worked as an exhibition designer at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Description

Made for a set that would have been sold to a British East India Company affiliate, this painting by an Indian artist depicts an Indian servant attempting to comply with the British convention of walking dogs on a leash. He seems resigned to accommodating British wishes, but without a natural understanding of how to do so properly. Similarly, the artist creates a cursory landscape setting and awkward shadows under the figures to accord with the preferences of British collectors for spatial depth and realism, but these were not elements of traditional Indian painting, and they appear as half-hearted and unsuccessful as the dog walk.
  • ?–1992
    William E. Ward [1922–2004], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1992–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1992.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (February 1993): 38–79. Mentioned: p. 78 www.jstor.org
  • Raja Deen Dayal: The King of Indian Photographers. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23, 2023-February 4, 2024).
    Indian Gallery 242b Rotation – November 2017-April 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 10, 2017-April 16, 2018).
    Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 20-August 18, 2004).
    Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 4-August 5, 2003).
    Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Dog Walker|url=false|author=|year=early 1830s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.143