The First of September, Evening

William Ward after George Morland

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a group of people and animals in a rural setting. To the left, two men are seated on a bench next to a building with a thatched roof. The man on the left is shown mostly in profile, wearing a brown suit and dark hat, with one hand resting on his knee. The other man stands, holding up a large fish with a smile; he is dressed in a red waistcoat and dark coat. Between them stands a small girl with curly hair, wearing a white dress, gazing upwards. There are two dogs beside the bench, one lying down and the other seated. To the right, a person in a long coat and hat is leading a saddled horse away from the building, shown from behind and slightly turned away. A woman is visible through a lattice window of the building, wearing a bonnet and gazing out. There is a wooden sign hanging above the doorway, displaying a painted emblem or animal. The background shows a cloudy sky, with the landscape suggesting a countryside, and the surrounding area is grassy with a few plants visible.