Artwork
On Their Way to Camp
On Their Way to Camp is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Eastman Johnson. It dates from 1873 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: E. Johnson 1873
About this work
Technique & Style
Eastman Johnson painted On Their Way to Camp in 1873 using oil on a paperboard (academy board) support, as recorded in the National Gallery of Art's catalog.
Eastman Johnson painted On Their Way to Camp in 1873 using oil on a paperboard (academy board) support, as recorded in the National Gallery of Art's catalog. The work exhibits the characteristic sensibilities of 19th-century American genre painting in its composition and handling of light, reflecting Johnson's realist approach to everyday scenes. It remains in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
History & Provenance
On Their Way to Camp was created by Eastman Johnson in 1873 as an oil on board. It entered the collection of Miss F. Pearl Browning and Miss Elizabeth Browning by 1940, who lent it that year to an exhibition of Johnson's work at the Brooklyn Museum. It subsequently passed to Mr. and Mrs. Clyde M. Newhouse of New York (from at least 1972 to 1977), then to Jo Ann and Julian Ganz, Jr. of Los Angeles (from at least 2004), before being acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2008 through gift and purchase.
Overview
Eastman Johnson’s 1873 oil on board, On Their Way to Camp, portrays a winter scene in a barren forest. Two laborers are shown moving a sled laden with barrels across snow‑covered ground, while a distant fire flickers among scattered logs.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on ordinary, seasonal work, emphasizing the physical effort required to transport heavy goods through a harsh environment. The men’s posture and the stark landscape suggest endurance and the routine challenges of rural life in the post‑Civil War era.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jonathan Eastman Johnson (July 29, 1824 – April 5, 1906) was an American painter and co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with his name inscribed at its entrance.
