Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906)
Husking Bee, Island of Nantucket
INV-8156
Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906)1876
Husking Bee, Island of Nantucket
Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906) →Realismpaintingamerican arts
Date
1876
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
69.6 × 138.2 cm (27 3/8 × 54 3/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Honoré and Potter Palmer
Eastman Johnson painted this composition in 1876, 100 years after the founding of the United States. The centennial fostered a sense of nostalgia among some residents as industrialization and urban growth rapidly transformed the nation. Husking Bee, Island of Nantucket depicts a seasonal gathering on the rural Massachusetts island. Community members work together to shuck corn and ready the harvest, a traditional activity that was far removed from daily life for many in the late 19th century. Johnson employed a warm palette and loose brushwork to describe this agrarian subject, presenting an uncomplicated vision of cooperation and closeness to the land.
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