Winslow Homer  (1836 -1910)
Crossing the Pasture, 1871
Oil on canvas
Amon Carter Museum of Am. Art, Ft. Worth
Original: 26.2 x 38 in.

Homer imbues this piece with a strong narrative.  It has also been titled Two Boys Going Fishing or The Bull Pasture. The boys will use the stick as a fishing pole and the bucket for bait or for the fish they might catch. The older boy holds the younger one close to him, protecting him and ready to run if the bull behind them gives chase.  The boys' repurposed bucket is similar to those used by beekeepers in the 1870s to distribute honey.

The shape of the skyline above them was inspired by Eagles Nest notch.  The fieldstone wall recalls informal stone walls that flank many of the old farm fields in and around Hurley.

THEN

ca.1920  Distant view of Eagle's Nest one-room school on Hurley Mountain Road, site of Snap the Whip.  The skyline is Eagle's Nest notch which is possibly the inspiration for Crossing the Pasture.  (HHS collection)

NOW

Looking west from near Wynkoop Road across the fields towards Hurley Mountain and Eagle's Nest notch.  The vegetation now surrounding the Evergreen Lane homes blocks the view of the former Eagle's Nest schoolhouse.  (Photo: Bruce Whistance, 2019)