Sketch of a Cottage Yard

Winslow Homer

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of an outdoor scene with a group of people gathered in front of a blue-gray wooden building with a dark door and two windows. Sunflowers grow on either side of the entrance, stretching up to the windows. The ground is painted in patches of tan, brown, and gray, perhaps indicating stone steps or a path. To the left of center is a group of shapes and colors that suggest four or five people gathered together on the ground. The people are painted with rough brushstrokes and have no distinct details or facial features. Their clothes are painted in shades of white, tan, gray, red, and pale blue, and appear to include dresses, bonnets, shirts, and suspenders. Their skin seems to be painted in shades of dark brown. There is a small stool or chair in the bottom right corner, and in the top left corner is a green area with white birds visible.