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The Trees, Early Afternoon, France

William A. Harper American, born Canada

ca. 1905

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 770

This rare work by the Black landscape painter William A. Harper depicts a bucolic scene in the French countryside. Canadian-born and Chicago-trained, Harper also studied informally in Paris with Henry Ossawa Tanner, the leading African American expatriate of his generation. Harper’s interest in painting regional subjects outside of Paris’s urban environs was shared by many American artists in these years. In transitional works such as this scene, Harper revealed the influence on his art of the French Barbizon painters as well as the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

The Trees, Early Afternoon, France, William A. Harper (American (born Canada), Cayuga 1873–1910 Mexico City), Oil on canvas, American — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

The Trees, Early Afternoon, France, William A. Harper (American (born Canada), Cayuga 1873–1910 Mexico City), Oil on canvas, American

The Trees, Early Afternoon, France, William A. Harper (American (born Canada), Cayuga 1873–1910 Mexico City), Oil on canvas, American

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Title: The Trees, Early Afternoon, France

Artist: William A. Harper (American (born Canada), Cayuga 1873–1910 Mexico City)

Date: ca. 1905

Culture: American

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 20 × 26 in. (50.8 × 66 cm)

Credit Line: Marguerite and Frank A. Cosgrove Jr. Fund, 2015

Accession Number: 2015.587

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The American Wing at The Met

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works by African American, Euro American, Native American, and Latin American artists, ranging from the colonial to early-modern period.