Flax Scutching Bee

Linton Park

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a rural scene with people gathered in front of log cabins. Hills, sparse trees, and a haystack are visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky. In the distance on the left, two people stand on a pile of logs, a small fire breaking out on the far left and putting gray smoke in the air. Closer to us on the left, a man stands by a machine made of several horizontal rods, appearing to feed long strands of fiber or grain into it. Gathered in a line across the rest of the painting is a crowd of men and women, appearing to hold long, flat objects and bundles of thin fiber. Some of the people talk while others seem to dance. The people all have pale skin, and the women wear colorful dresses with aprons and bonnets, while the men wear jackets, vests, and top hats.