After Sir Edwin Landseer, British, 19th Century
This touching painting, executed by one of the students of Sir Edwin Landseer, is based on the celebrated original painting in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, painted around 1842. Entitled There’s No Place Like Home, the work takes its name from the line “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home” from the popular ballad Home, Sweet Home, first performed in London in 1823.
The composition features a faithful dog rendered with tender realism; its expressive eyes filled with longing and devotion. Contemporary critics praised Landseer’s original painting for the dog’s “profoundly imploring expression,” which was said to be “difficult to describe in words.” This student work captures that same emotional intensity, echoing Landseer’s unmatched ability to invest animals with human sentiment and moral resonance.
As one of the most celebrated animal painters of the Victorian era, Landseer’s influence extended well beyond his own studio. Works such as this demonstrate how his students sought to emulate his gift for combining technical precision with deep pathos, elevating the humble domestic dog into a universal emblem of loyalty, love, and the comforts of home.