Artwork
Untitled (Farmer's Daughter)
Untitled (Farmer's Daughter) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Charles X. Harris. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1890, this untitled etching by Charles X.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, this untitled etching by Charles X. Harris depicts a young woman in a rural setting. The composition centers on the figure standing amid grass, clutching a wooden bucket, while a modest fence, trees, and a narrow path recede into the background, conveying a quiet moment in the countryside.
Subject & Meaning
The solitary figure, dressed in a long, neatly kept dress with a high collar and a wide-brimmed hat, suggests a farmhand or daughter engaged in daily chores. Her poised stance and the simple, functional attire emphasize the dignity of ordinary labor and the stillness of a brief pause in everyday life.
Technique & Style
Executed as an etching, Harris incised the image onto a metal plate, allowing fine lines and subtle tonal variations to emerge in the printed impression. The medium’s capacity for delicate shading renders the grass, foliage, and fabric textures with a restrained yet expressive quality characteristic of late‑19th‑century printmaking.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in the final decade of the 19th century, a period when American printmakers increasingly explored rural themes. While specific ownership records are limited, the piece has been catalogued among Harris’s oeuvre of etchings that document American agrarian life.
Context
Harris’s choice of a farmer’s daughter as subject aligns with contemporary artistic interests in realism and the portrayal of working‑class individuals. The quiet, unembellished setting reflects broader cultural narratives that valorized the simplicity and stability of rural America during a time of rapid industrial change.
Artist & collection
Untitled (Lady by a Riverbank)
Painting
Original drawing for illustration to 'The Sisters', published in the English Illustrated Magazine
Untitled (Love Me, Love Me Not)
A Day-Dream
Girl carrying a pitcher
Peasant Girl on a Stony Road
Untitled (Woman Picking Blossoms)
In the Fields
Fresh Eggs
Petite Servante
Untitled (Two Girls at a Window)