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Henri-Joseph Harpignies (French, 1819–1916). A Meadow in the Bourbonnais, Morning, 1876. Oil on canvas, 44 x 66 in. (111.8 x 167.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh, 55.18
In this painting, exhibited at the Salon of 1876 and considered his masterwork, Harpignies presents a vast landscape in the Bourbonnais region, dotted with grazing cows, ancient trees, and a snaking line of long, cool shadows leading to a distant horizon. Harpignies peoples the middle distance of the scene with children and peasant women washing laundry in the river, a long-standing custom of the area. For Parisian audiences scarred by the deprivations suffered during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and the humiliation of defeat, Harpignies' painting provided reassurance of France's beauty, bounty, and ageless traditions.
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum