Edward Mitchell Bannister

In this depiction of a young woman tending her cows and sheep, Bannister bathed the landscape with bands of sunlight. In the late 1800s, scenes that offered respite from industrialization and evoked the perceived simplicity of rural life appealed to American collectors. Such intimate views of nature had been popularized by French artists, such as Daubigny and Corot, whose paintings hang nearby. Bannister, a founder of the Providence Art Club, would have studied them in exhibitions in Boston and in private collections. They were also featured at Seth Vose’s gallery and art supply shop on Westminster Street.