Image: James Tissot, Holyday (c.1876)

In our continuing series of Saturday art posts related to dining or food, we continue the theme of feasts or meals. This is a complete pendulum swing from the last featured painting. The sun in out, thoughts turn to picnics and we went scouring for something appropriate.

In the holdings of the Tate Museum, and currently not on display, this 19th century painting by French expatriate James Tissot is so painfully English that it is nearly a self-parody.

The scene is of a picnic in the private gardens of the wealthy London neighborhood of St. John’s Wood. There is tea being served as the residents lounge beside an ornamental pond. Two of the men are wearing caps of I Zingari, an elite amateur cricket club. An elite amateur cricket club with an Italian name!! The lady sitting against the tree is the lax chaperone who seems to doze while the younger crowd flirt and hint at looser morals. Victoria’s secret indeed.

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Soon we will be able to graze in groups (with or without members of elite amateur cricket clubs) and gaze our way through museums. If you are in D.C. and planning an outing remember the primary purpose of this website is a dining guide to the district with 300+ restaurants lists (and nearly all of them still open in some form or another!). You can search in either LIST or MAP format and sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current status.

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Stay safe. Wear a mask (and sunscreen). Tip Big!