River Landscape with Woman on a Path
George Henry Boughton (1833-1905)
Date:
1856
Medium:
Pencil on paper
Dimensions:
9 3/8 H x 8 5/8 W
Inscription:
Signed, lower left: G.H. Boughton 1856
Credit:
Albany Institute of History & Art Purchase
Accession Number:
1997.18
Comments:
This charming vignette—done the year before Boughton moved to New York City—shows a woman wearing a kerchief and shawl looking out over the water, probably the Hudson River. Chances are that he drew the landscape from life, and added the figure as a picturesque touch. This composition anticipates Boughton's later work done in England, which consists primarily of sentimental scenes taken from American history and literature, anecdotal costume pieces, and paintings of idyllic peasant life.