Farmyard with Ducks and Chickens
1872â73
Medium
landscapes
Classification
landscapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Charles Savage Homer, Jr.
Accession Number
1918-20-4
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer, one of America's foremost realist painters (1836–1910), the simple rhythms of rural life in *Farmyard with Ducks andens* (1872–73). This landscape depicts a lively farmyard scene bustling with ducks and chickens, rendered with Homer's signature attention to natural light, texture, and movement. Created in the post-Civil War, when America was rediscovering its pastoral roots amid rapid industrialization, the painting reflects Homer's fascination with everyday vignettes, often drawn from his time in rural New York and Massachusetts. Homer's realist style—marked by bold brushwork ...