Reid, George Agnew (1893-1935) - Foreclosure of the Mortgage (Oil on canvas) ©Government of Ontario Art Collection, Archives of Ontario
This somber and moving rural scene is a sequel to Mortgaging the Homestead. In Foreclosure of the Mortgage, a despondent family is shown gathered around a bedridden father as they listen to a bailiff read a notice of repossession. Reid uses light to emphasize the drama in this work: the light shines on the father and on the faces of the children gathered around him. The bailiff, in shadow, is clearly the villain in this scene. It was widely exhibited across North America and brought Reid much attention. The work on display is a copy that Reid made using his preliminary sketches after his 1893 original was destroyed by fire in England in 1918.