In 1846, Landseer exhibited "Time of Peace" and "Time of War" at London's Royal Academy, contrasting the blessings of peace with the horrors of war. The first painting showed a shepherd and his wife with their child, seated on the cliff overlooking the sea and with sheep and goats grazing close by. Robert Vernon (1774–1849) purchased both works and arranged for their publication shortly before his own death (both were irreparably damaged in the great Thames flood in January 1908 whilst stored in the Tate's basement). The lambs in the present study can be easily identified in reproductions of the painting.