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The Goose Girl

Walter Crane

1880

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Post-Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

The Goose Girl is a 1880 watercolor by Walter Crane, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Walter Crane
When & what style?: 1880 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This image shows a busy scene with two women in a garden. One woman is kneeling, holding a goose that’s surrounded by flying birds. The other woman stands behind her, arms raised as if calling out. Trees and flowers fill the background, and there’s a fence with a distant building. At the top, the words "The Goose Girl" are written in bold letters, and below, a poem is carved into the frame. The title hints this might be a story about a girl and her geese. The artist used soft colors and flowing lines to show movement, almost like a snapshot of a moment in time. If you like this style, look up Walter Crane.

The story of this work

Overview

The artwork is a watercolour cartoon titled *The Goose Girl*, created by Walter Crane in 1880. Signed and dated in Roman numerals, it includes an inscription of four lines from a poem by the Brothers Grimm. The design was later woven into a tapestry in 1881 by Morris & Co. at their Merton Abbey workshops.

Read the full account in the museum source.