September Afternoon 1895

Joseph DeCamp painted "September Afternoon" with oil on canvas. The artist laid down strokes of ochre, green, and blue paint to evoke the serene feel of a late summer day. DeCamp’s Impressionistic technique speaks to the labor and skill involved in the production process. The lush and dappled scenery is a world away from the urban factories, where so many Americans were employed in his era. Yet we can draw connections between this aesthetic of leisure and the industrial revolution. After all, it was the rise of a new manufacturing economy that provided the comfortable circumstances for the middle class to appreciate such landscapes. The ability to enjoy a ‘September Afternoon’ was tied to the larger social shifts of labor, politics, and consumption at the time. Paying attention to the processes and contexts behind an artwork helps us appreciate its full significance, challenging the idea that fine art stands apart from the world of labor and production.