The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire

This type of picture, known as a conversation piece, was invented in England in the 1700s and popular for the informal way it represented families. A father and daughter, mother and son, are strategizing over the next hand in a game of cards. The family recently lost a loved one, so the parents are dressed in full mourning (black clothing), and the siblings in lesser mourning (mauve, white, and gray).