Girl with Hay Rake

Girl with Hay Rake is an exceptional watercolor executed by Winslow Homer in 1878. This work showcases the artist’s increasing reliance on the demanding medium of watercolor on wove paper during the latter half of his career. Classified within the National Gallery of Art collection as a drawing, the piece captures a scene of rural labor and innocence characteristic of American genre painting. Created during the period of 1876 to 1900, this piece reflects Homer’s shift toward quieter, more focused studies of individuals, often set against the backdrop of natural or working environments.

Homer utilized the inherent luminosity and speed of the watercolor technique to depict the figure, likely a young farm worker, holding her tool in profile. The light handling of color allows the underlying paper texture to contribute to the overall surface quality, giving the scene a spontaneous yet deeply observed quality. Homer’s sophisticated layering of washes captures the effects of natural light on the figure and clothing, demonstrating his profound understanding of atmosphere and composition.

This subject matter underscores the broader trend in American art during the late nineteenth century toward depicting everyday life. Homer often used figures in these rural scenes to explore formal relationships between light, form, and atmosphere, moving beyond specific narrative events toward universal themes of labor and solitude. The resulting subtlety in execution confirms Homer’s status as a preeminent master of the American watercolor tradition.

This highly regarded work is part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, preserved for its historical and artistic value. While the original drawing is a carefully conserved artifact, the wide dissemination of art from this important period means high-quality prints derived from museum collections are often available in the public domain, allowing broad access to these foundational American images.