Girl with a Muff, Winter Scene
George H. Boughton, A.R.A. (1834-1905)
1884
Oil on panel
H 53.3 x W 35.6 cm
Collection: Glasgow Museums, accession no. 2630
Gift from Miss Kirkpatrick, 1947
This painting would have been inspired by Boughton's visit to Holland in 1883, as recorded in his Sketching Rambles in Holland (1883). His illustrations there feature young women doing various kinds of manual tasks, like carrying washing or working in the fields. But this one, seemingly lost in thought, wearing a cape and carrying only her warm muff and dainty reticule, is apparently just on her way somewhere through the well-trodden snow. The subdued tones, the faint flush of her face, the hints of a small community amid the snowy landscape, all help to make this rather an endearing scene. The Netherlands were a popular destination for artists at that time. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Image download, commentary and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee.