The Garden Wall

In the summer of 1878, Homer enjoyed a lengthy stay at Houghton Farm, the country property of his patron Lawson Valentine in Mountainville, New York. While there, he created a large number of watercolors that depicted youthful farm boys and girls at work and leisure in the fields and orchards.

The Garden Wall, though completed in 1880, is related to a sketch Homer did in 1878, which was most likely done at Houghton Farm. His strong sense of design is clearly evidenced in the placement of the figure among the bold diagonal lines that divide the picture. His self-assured drawing skills are effectively utilized in the scene and his thin color washes are applied with great confidence. The muted colors mark this as a transitional work that is more in keeping with his work as an illustrator rather than the bold expressionistic watercolors of his later years.