At first the older brothers and sisters used to help little Joshua by guiding his hand, but he soon learned to draw as well as they. His first drawings had been so funny that they had laughed at him. Now they praised him instead.
When he was only eight years old Joshua drew a picture that every one praised very much. It was a picture of the schoolhouse. His father was so pleased when he saw it that he said, "This is wonderful!"
In the little town where Joshua lived the people went to church on Sundays, of course, and sometimes also during the week. One day, Joshua went to church. At first he sat very still; but the sermon was a very long one, and finally he grew so tired he could not listen another minute. He thought he would like to draw a picture of the minister, but he had nothing to draw it on. Then he remembered that he had a pencil in his pocket, and that he could draw the picture on his thumb nail. That is just what he did.
The church was near the river, and after church Joshua went down to the river bank. Finding a piece of an old sail, he carried it to a boathouse, and here, from the picture on his thumb nail, he drew on the piece of sail the portrait of the minister. Then he painted it, using common paint such as is used to paint boats. Joshua was only eleven years old, and had finished his first oil painting. His father had wanted him to be a doctor, but after seeing this picture he decided to let Joshua have his own way and be a painter. He sent him to a good teacher, and lived to see his son a great artist.
Questions about the artist. Who painted this picture? What did Sir Joshua Reynolds like to do when he was a boy? Who was his teacher? How did he spoil his number paper? Why was his father disappointed? How many brothers and sisters did he have? On what did they draw? With what did they draw? How old was Joshua when he drew the picture of the schoolhouse? What did his father say when he saw this picture? How did Joshua happen to paint a picture of the minister? On what did he make his first sketch? Where did he finish the picture? On what did he paint it? What kind of paints did he use? What did Joshua's father want him to be when he grew up? After he had seen this picture, what did he say Joshua might be? Why do we want to remember him?
THE FIRST STEP
Artist: Jean François Millet (zhän frän´ swä´ mēlĕ´´).
Birthplace: Gruchy, France.