The Raffle (Raffling for the Goose) 1837

"The Raffle (Raffling for the Goose)" is an oil on canvas painting by William Sidney Mount, dating back to 1837. This work depicts a group of men gathered around a table, engaging in a lively raffle for a goose. Mount, known for his genre paintings of everyday life, captures the jovial atmosphere of this rural gathering. The painting is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and showcases Mount's ability to render both the physical details and the emotional nuances of his subjects. The composition, with its focus on the central table and the surrounding figures, creates a sense of immediacy and involvement, inviting the viewer to become a participant in the scene.