Artwork
Spring

Spring is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Cephas Thompson. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1971.244
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Madeleine Thompson Edmonds, 1971
About this work
A young woman in a straw hat leans against a tree, holding a bouquet of wildflowers. Her dress is simple, and sunlight filters through the leaves above. Cephas Giovanni Thompson painted it in 1838, keeping things plain: no drama, just a quiet moment, the flowers looking freshly picked.
Subject & Meaning
These elements function as visual symbols of the season’s renewal and natural abundance, linking the figure to the thematic emphasis on springtime growth.
The painting titled "Spring" by Cephas Giovanni Thompson portrays a woman accompanied by a flower, a leaf, and a hat. These elements function as visual symbols of the season’s renewal and natural abundance, linking the figure to the thematic emphasis on springtime growth. The work’s iconography thus conveys a symbolic representation of spring through the inclusion of botanical motifs and a hat, reinforcing the seasonal narrative suggested by its title.
Technique & Style
Created in 1838, Spring is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 91.4 centimeters in height and 73 centimeters in width. Cephas Giovanni Thompson employed oil paint to depict a landscape genre scene featuring a woman, flowers, leaves, and a hat.
The piece is classified within The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stylistically, the composition centers on these natural and human elements, utilizing the medium to render the specific details of the foliage and figure within the landscape setting.
History & Provenance
The painting Spring, executed in oil on canvas in 1838 by Cephas Giovanni Thompson, is documented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s records as part of The American Wing collection. Its dimensions are 91.4 cm by 73 cm, and it portrays a flower, a hat, a leaf and a woman. The work entered the museum’s holdings without recorded commission details, and its creation history is limited to the artist’s dated entry of 1838. Provenance is traced to the museum’s collection, where it remains on display.
Cephas Giovanni Thompson's 1838 oil painting Spring is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work is classified within The American Wing of the museum. While the provided sources confirm the artwork's location and its inclusion in this specific department, they do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the piece.
Furthermore, the available documentation does not contain details regarding the painting's exhibition history or specific display dates. The painting, measuring 91.4 cm in height and 73 cm in width, depicts a woman adorned with a hat and surrounded by flowers and leaves, consistent with its landscape genre classification.
Context
Cephas Giovanni Thompson's 1838 oil on canvas, titled Spring, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is listed in The American Wing with the genre designation of landscape. The painting portrays a woman together with motifs including a flower, hat, and leaf, as recorded in museum documentation and Wikidata. Its inclusion in the American Wing reflects its recognition as part of the canonical corpus of American landscape painting.
Technical details such as oil paint and canvas, as well as dimensions of 91.4 × 73 cm, are documented in the museum's collection records.
Overview
Cephas Giovanni Thompson's painting, Spring, created in 1838, is an oil on canvas work. It portrays a young woman in a natural setting, leaning against a tree. She wears a simple dress and a straw hat, holding a bouquet of freshly gathered wildflowers.
The scene is bathed in filtered sunlight, suggesting a quiet moment amidst nature's awakening. This piece reflects a serene approach to landscape and figural representation.
Artist & collection


















