Artwork
Haytime
Haytime is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Wilfrid Williams Ball. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Wilfrid Williams Ball’s 1898 watercolour, titled *Haytime*, depicts a rural scene centred on a substantial haystack. Figures and horses are positioned around the stack, while a muted, cloud‑filled sky stretches overhead, establishing a quiet, working‑day atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition records agricultural labour, emphasizing the communal effort of gathering and storing hay. The presence of both people and draft animals underscores the interdependence of human and animal work in late‑nineteenth‑century countryside life.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, the work employs loose, expressive brushwork that softens edges and creates a hazy ambience. Ball’s handling of washes and layered pigments produces subtle tonal shifts, conveying depth and atmospheric perspective without strict detail.
History & Provenance
Signed and dated by the artist, the piece bears Ball’s characteristic signature, confirming authorship. It remains documented as a dated work from 1898, though further details of its ownership history are not recorded in the available sources.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Landscape with Cornfield and Windmill
A Harvest Scene, North Dublin
On the Scottish Shore, Coast Scene with Figures
Stacking Hay, near Lincoln
Fen in the Kempen
Landscape
Coast Scene
Landscape
The Artist's Shelter on the Moors in Jutland
Fishing boat on the shore at Hastings
Hilly Landscape with Figures
Hay Field