Mishap at the Ford

Alvan T. Fisher

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a river crossing. In the center of the painting, a horse-drawn carriage is at the river's edge. The carriage itself is on the right, the wheels still partially submerged in the water, while on the left the four horses are climbing up into the bank. The horses appear to be in distress, rearing up onto their back legs and raising their heads into the air. A man on the shore is trying to calm them down, his hands raised upwards. Behind the man, on the left side of the painting, is an abandoned fishing rod and basket, and a small brown dog appears to chew one of the fishing lines. The people in the carriage - two women in dresses and feathered hats and two men in dark uniforms with gold details - look towards the horses with wide eyes and open, downturned mouths. At the base of the carriage, there is a man in a blue coat standing in the water, grasping the long reins of the horses. A black top hat floats near him on the shore. On the right, another dog stands in the water, facing the carriage. Behind it, men in a long wooden boat help a man who is submerged in the water, lifting him up towards the boat. In the distance, behind the carriage, three people can be seen on the opposite bank of the river, their hands raised. All of the people in the painting have light skin. The carriage is bright yellow against the blue-gray water, and the shore on the left is a strip of brown dirt with small gray pebbles that leads into dark green grass. On the left and right, the bank is lined with tall, dark green trees. The horizon shows green hills and a distant light-blue mountain range. The sky is pale blue with white clouds tinged with peach, and the water beneath it reflects these colors.