Winter Scene in Moonlight

Henry Farrer created the watercolor and gouache work titled Winter Scene in Moonlight in 1869. Executed on white wove paper, the piece depicts a winter landscape featuring trees under moonlight. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within the institution's American Wing classification.

While the specific commission details and earlier ownership chain are not detailed in the available records, the work's inception is firmly established at the beginning of 1869.

The watercolor Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in 1869, the work is classified within The American Wing of the museum. The piece depicts a winter landscape featuring a moon and trees, rendered in watercolor and gouache on white wove paper.

While the sources confirm the artwork's location and creation date, they do not provide a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any exhibition history for the work.

Winter Scene in Moonlight is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing, a placement that signals its acknowledged importance within the canon of 19th‑century American landscape painting. The work’s watercolor technique and nocturnal subject matter have been referenced in studies of Henry Farrer’s contribution to atmospheric realism, shaping later interpretations of moonlight effects in American art. Its inclusion in a premier institutional collection ensures ongoing scholarly discussion of the piece as both a technical achievement and a symbol of the artist’s evolving reputation.

Henry Farrer's 1869 work, Winter Scene in Moonlight, is a watercolor and gouache landscape on white wove paper. This piece captures a serene nocturnal winter setting, characteristic of the artist's engagement with natural themes. It is housed within The American Wing collection, reflecting its place in American art history.

This painting resonates with the atmospheric qualities found in the works of European Romantic painters, particularly evoking the contemplative winter landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich. Farrer's approach to capturing the sublime and melancholic aspects of nature aligns with broader artistic currents that emphasized emotional responses to the environment.