At the Water Trough

J. Alden Weir, At the Water Trough, 1876-1877, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.125
Copied J. Alden Weir, At the Water Trough, 1876-1877, oil on canvas, 17 1⁄4 x 14 1⁄4 in. (43.7 x 36.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.125
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
At the Water Trough
Artist
Date
1876-1877
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
17 1⁄4 x 14 1⁄4 in. (43.7 x 36.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — female and child
  • Recreation — courting
  • Cityscape — Italy
  • Occupation — domestic — water carrier
  • Figure group
Object Number
1978.125
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.125

Artwork Description

At the Water Trough is an early work by J. Alden Weir, which he painted in the fall of 1876 after returning to Paris from a trip to Spain. It is the only known painting from this trip, and was based on sketches and photographs that Weir made in the Spanish city of Granada. This scene, which shows people gathering at a water fountain to exchange news and take a rest from their daily chores, would have been a common sight in Spain at that time, as indoor plumbing was not yet widespread. The painting was exhibited the following year at the National Academy of Design in New York.