The Woodcutter's Breakfast (The Faggot Gatherer's Meal)
ca. 1832–34 (?)
Medium
Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite
Dimensions
13 x 17 in. (33.0 x 43.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Emmanuel Moatti Gift, Van Day Truex Fund, 2000
Accession Number
2000.114
Tags
Art Historical Context
William Henry Hunt’s *The Woodcutter’s Breakfast* offers an intimate glimpse into rural English life during the early nineteenth century. The scene portrays a solitary man pausing for a simple meal beside a glowing fireplace, his tools and gathered faggots nearby. This genre subject celebrates the quiet dignity of ordinary labor, a theme that resonated with audiences seeking connection to traditional ways of life amid Britain’s rapid industrialization. Executed in watercolor and gouache over graphite, the work highlights Hunt’s mastery of the medium. The opaque bodycolor allows him to render ...
About the Artist
William Henry Hunt · 1790–1864
Comment on works: Still life; Genre; Landscapes