Study in a Wood
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
11 7/8 x 10 in. (30.2 x 25.4 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Collis P. Huntington, 1900
Accession Number
25.110.42
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Study in a Wood" (1861) by Daniel Huntington captures a serene moment of a woman immersed in reading amidst a lush woodland setting. This intimate oil on canvas, measuring just 11 7/8 x 10 inches, exemplifies Huntington's skill in rendering natural light filtering through trees, highlighting the quiet elegance of everyday contemplation. As a prominent American artist and later president of the National Academy of Design, Huntington often explored genre scenes blending portraiture with landscape, reflecting the Romantic ideals of his era. Painted at the outset of the Civil War, the work offer...
About the Artist
Daniel Huntington · 1816–1906
Daniel Huntington (1816–1906) was born into a prominent New York family on October 4, 1816, descending from distinguished New England lineage. His early education began at age fourteen at Smith's Academy in New Haven, followed by Yale College, where he studied with Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor, artist, and president of the National Academy of Design, in 1835. After a disciplinary incident invo...