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October
1867 John Whetten Ehninger Born: New York, New York 1827 Died: Saratoga, New York 1889 oil on canvas 32 1/4 x 54 1/8 in. (82.0 x 137.6 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Museum purchase 1971.290 Not currently on view
John Whetten Ehninger captured the clear atmosphere and brilliant colors of the harvest season. Golden light reflects off of the trees and fields, suffusing the soft clouds above with a comforting glow. A scene like this, evoking community, peace, and plenty, was especially powerful after the Civil War. Ehninger’s image recalls a “golden day” when the nation was innocent and its fields had not been torn by cannon fire. In the year this painting was made, a poet acknowledged the nostalgic power of the harvest with the words, “What calls back the past, like rich Pumpkin pie?/Oh!---fruit of loved boyhood!---the old days recalling.” (Harper’s Weekly, November 23, 1867)
For more information about this work visit the Luce Foundation Center.
Keywords
Animal - cattle
Figure(s) in exterior - farm
Landscape - farm
Landscape - season - autumn
Occupation - farm - harvesting
painting
paint - oil
fabric - canvas
About John Whetten Ehninger
Born: New York, New York 1827 Died: Saratoga, New York 1889
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