The Early Ploughman
The Early Ploughman
| Artist | Samuel Palmer (English, 1805 – 1881) |
| Date | 1861 |
| Medium or Technique | Etching on laid paper |
| Dimensions | 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 inches |
| Collection | Syracuse University Art Galleries |
| Accession Number | SUAC 1963.0587 |
| Credit Line | Syracuse University Art Collection, gift of Mr. Cloud Wampler |
Description
Samuel Palmer created The Early Ploughman (1861) in the middle of his etching career. Bringing an Italianate feel to a British landscape, he depicts men hard at work tending to their oxen as a woman watches carrying a water pitcher against the early morning sky. He emphasizes the simplistic relationship between rural folk and their natural environments during a time of increasing industrialization. Various versions of the etching were created by Palmer as well by his son, Alfred Herbert Palmer.