Uncle Toby and Widow Wadman

This painting shows two of the characters in Sterne's 'Tristram Shandy', Uncle Toby and the Widow Wadman. Inscribed on the stretcher is the note: 'This was a sketch only but C. R. Leslie finished it for me in May 1848'. It is believed that the model for Uncle Toby was the actor Jack Bannister (1760–1836) a great friend of Leslie’s.

This was Leslie’s most famous composition which he painted several times. For the Victorians the image became an instantly recognisable symbol of flirtatiousness. The situation represented is that of Widow Wadman inviting Uncle Toby to help her remove an object from her eye. Uncle Toby is mesmerised by the proximity of the Widow’s beauty which causes the old soldier to fall head-over-heels in love with her. The image was used as a design for Pratt Potlids in advertising. There are larger versions of this painting in both the V&A and Tate but evidence on the stretcher suggests that this painting was made from the original drawing.