Fidelity by Briton Rivière: A Dog in the Prison Cell

In this article

A young man in a prison cell

A young man sits slumped on a stool in a bare cell, his face buried in a handkerchief. A lean collie-type dog has found him and pushes its nose against him. Whatever he has done, the dog remains loyal.

Briton Rivière painted Fidelity in 1869. It belongs to the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight.

A man hiding his face

Young man weeping into a handkerchief on a stool — A man hiding his face.

He wears a worn country jacket and gaiters, as if he were a poacher or labourer. He weeps into his hands. A water jug stands on the floor beside him, the only object in the cell.

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Fidelity, painted by hand

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Loyalty in a single gesture

Lean dog stretching its nose towards the young man — Loyalty in a single gesture.

The dog stretches its neck to reach him, tail low, ears soft. It is the only warmth in the bare, pale room. The title tells us what the painting is about: a loyalty that does not depend on judgement.

Questions about Fidelity

Who painted it?

Briton Rivière, in 1869.

Where is it?

Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight.

Where is the man?

In a bare prison cell with a barred window.

What is the theme?

The unconditional loyalty of a dog to its master.

Sources and image credit

Art UK: Briton Rivière, Fidelity

Public-domain reproduction of Fidelity (1869). Detail images are crops of the same image; no reconstruction or upscaling.