The Clean Face Rewarded 1801

"The Clean Face Rewarded" is an 1801 hand-colored mezzotint print by James Ward. The print depicts a scene of domestic virtue, with a young girl being rewarded for her cleanliness by her mother. The other children in the scene, dressed in their nightgowns, look on with expressions of both envy and admiration. This print was likely popular among parents and educators who sought to instill values of cleanliness and good behavior in their children. The style of the artwork is characteristic of late-18th and early 19th-century British Neoclassical art, with its emphasis on idealized figures and a focus on moral and ethical themes.