Who painted Women Working in a Field?

Women Working in a Field was painted by Winslow Homer in 1867-01-01.

Where can I see Women Working in a Field?

Women Working in a Field is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Women Working in a Field?

Women Working in a Field is associated with Realism.

Women Working in a Field by Winslow Homer (1867)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Created in 1867, this oil painting on panel by Winslow Homer depicts a genre scene centered on female laborers within an agricultural landscape.

Created in 1867, this oil painting on panel by Winslow Homer depicts a genre scene centered on female laborers within an agricultural landscape. The composition specifically features women working amidst hay in an open field, capturing a moment of rural industry in the United States. As a work of genre art, the piece focuses on the everyday activities of common people rather than historical or mythological narratives.

The iconography is grounded in the direct representation of the figures and their environment, highlighting the physical engagement of the subjects with the harvested crops. While the work documents a specific aspect of 19th-century American life, the available records emphasize the literal depiction of women and hay over explicit allegorical symbolism or deeper philosophical meanings.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on a poplar panel in 1867, the work is painted in a direct, unidealized style aligned with mid-nineteenth-century genre realism. The handling is broadly brushed in the foreground figures, where Homer modulates light and shadow across the workers’ clothing with rapid, descriptive strokes, while the background field is rendered with flatter, more schematic touches that keep attention on the laborers. The composition arranges the two women in a shallow, stage-like space, their backs to the viewer as they gather hay, creating a quiet monumentality through simple planar organization and muted, earthy tones that evoke the rural environment.

History & Provenance

Winslow Homer created the oil painting Women Working in a Field in 1867. Executed on a panel, the work measures 17.0 by 32.2 centimeters and was produced in the United States. The piece depicts a genre scene of women harvesting hay in a field.

While the specific commission details and the complete chain of ownership prior to its current location are not detailed in the available records, the work is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The painting remains a significant example of Homer's mid-19th-century genre work, capturing rural labor in the post-Civil War era.

The painting Women Working in a Field, created by Winslow Homer in 1867, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. While the work is confirmed to be part of this institution's holdings, the provided records do not specify a particular accession or inventory number. Furthermore, although the artwork's physical attributes and subject matter are documented, there is no information available in the current sources regarding its exhibition history or specific loans to other venues.

Overview

Women Working in a Field is an oil painting depicting three figures engaged in agricultural labor. The artist employs a direct approach to portray the scene, focusing on the physical act of work within a natural setting. The composition emphasizes the connection between the laborers and the land, rendered through a distinctive application of paint.