Who painted Berks County Almshouse, 1880?

Berks County Almshouse, 1880 was painted by John Rasmussen in 1880.

Where can I see Berks County Almshouse, 1880?

Berks County Almshouse, 1880 is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Berks County Almshouse, 1880?

Berks County Almshouse, 1880 is associated with American Impressionism.

Artwork

Berks County Almshouse, 1880

John Rasmussen , 1880

Berks County Almshouse, 1880 is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist John Rasmussen. It dates from 1880 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

A large white farm building sits under a cloudy sky, a golden eagle perched on the roof. The eagle is real gold leaf, flat and shining against the dull zinc panel, a flourish almost no one was using in 1880. It turns the bird into a trophy rather than a wild animal.

Technique & Style

Berks County Almshouse, 1880 is executed in oil combined with gold paint on a zinc support, an unusual combination of media for a late nineteenth-century American landscape. The use of gold paint introduces a decorative, reflective element that distinguishes the surface treatment from conventional oil-on-canvas or oil-on-panel practice of the period. With dimensions of 82.9 by 101.6 centimeters in a horizontal landscape format, the work presents a broad compositional field in which a farm, building, factory, and eagle are arranged across the picture plane.

The metallic ground of the zinc panel, paired with gilded passages, lends the rural-industrial subject a heightened tonal luminosity, blending naturalistic landscape description with ornamental finish characteristic of eclectic American painting of the 1880s.

History & Provenance

The available sources do not specify an inventory or accession number for the work, nor do they record any details regarding its exhibition history.

John Rasmussen painted Berks County Almshouse in 1880 using oil with gold pigment on zinc; the work measures 82.9 × 101.6 cm. It portrays a farm, an eagle, a building and a factory, reflecting the site's rural and industrial elements. Classified within The American Wing, the painting is presently held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. The available sources do not specify an inventory or accession number for the work, nor do they record any details regarding its exhibition history.

Context

John Rasmussen's 1880 oil-and-gold-paint-on-zinc work titled Berks County Almshouse, 1880, is catalogued as a landscape within the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The depiction of a farm, factory, and eagle reflects contemporary interest in documenting both agrarian and industrial life alongside natural symbolism. As a work by Rasmussen, one of the Pennsylvania almshouse painters known for precise topographical renderings, it contributes to the narrative of American regional landscape painting in the 1880s.

Overview

The painting "Berks County Almshouse, 1880" presents a substantial white farm building set against a cloudy sky. Perched prominently on its roof is a golden eagle. Executed in oil and gold paint on a zinc panel, this work offers a direct depiction of a specific institutional structure from the late 19th century, characteristic of pieces found within The American Wing collections.

Subject & Meaning

The artwork's subject, the Berks County Almshouse, represents a specific type of public institution prevalent in 19th-century America, providing care for the poor or infirm. The golden eagle atop the building, rendered with a distinct, almost heraldic quality due to the gold leaf, suggests a symbolic presence. Its portrayal as a static, trophy-like figure rather than a dynamic wild bird may imply a commentary on national identity, institutional authority, or the perceived status of such establishments.