This is a large painting - 2075cm x 2875cm. It was commissioned by Sir Henry Tate and came to be installed in the gallery he built some 6 years later.

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I think of it as fin de siècle artwork.  The nineteenth century is drawing to a close and the artist lays down a marker of what has been achieved.

 

He sets his painting in the cottage of a poor working family. A sick child is shown in the foreground; a doctor is attending her(?). But this is no piece of maudlin sentimentality. This is a statement of how far we have come.

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The family are clearly poor. There is no bed for the child, except the one made by bringing two chairs together - and they don't match each other. It looks as though she is covered with coarse blankets. The woman/mother in the background is in an attitude of despair; the man/father is keeping his distance from the doctor and child. Both he and the woman in their isolation are bathed in the hazy light of the moon - the sign of old religion and superstition. The man is standing aside so that modern medicine can do its work.

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In contrast, the doctor has shone clear illuminating lamplight on the sick child. It makes her the focus of attention. The doctor sits in deep thought. He has no modern gadgetry, no tools of his trade - just his trained mind. Modern knowledge, modern science has entered the room in the doctor's person and is addressing the child's need. 

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We could also think of this as a piece of Victorian 'improving art'. The reign of Victoria was a period where self-improvement was highly valued, and the various arts - but especially painting and poetry - were put to work.  Art (both visual and written) was seen as having a role in inspiring higher virtues, patriotism and benevolence. I think that paintings such as The Doctor would have been seen in that light - a work which encouraged pride in achievement.

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From our perspective in the 21st century, it is easy to associate the 19th century with nostalgia. There is some evidence to support that (in, say, the Arts and Crafts movement) but you won't find it in this painting. This is art which celebrates the present and looks to the future.

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