The Raffle (Raffling for the Goose) 1837

William Sidney Mount painted ‘The Raffle’ in the 19th century. It's an oil on canvas that gives us a glimpse into rural American life. The painting depicts a group of men gathered around a table, eagerly watching as numbers are drawn from a hat to decide who wins the goose. Mount’s work often touched on scenes of everyday life, race, and social class, which were all very relevant to the United States at this time. We see a casual attitude to gambling which may or may not have been linked to social problems in the community. This painting can be seen as a reflection of the social structures of the time and the kinds of leisure activities that were common. To better understand the context, we might look at local newspapers, historical society records and demographic data from Long Island, where Mount lived and worked. Such resources could reveal more about the communities that made up his world and the role of art in reflecting those communities back to themselves.