Jerry Hudson, a Farm Labourer, with a Longhorn Cow 

James Ward painted “Jerry Hudson, a Farm Labourer, with a Longhorn Cow” using oil paint, a traditional fine art material, to depict a rural scene that speaks volumes about the society of his time. Notice how the artist's hand brings a soft, almost romantic quality to the pastoral scene. With a loose application of pigment, we see a man and beast posed together, as if equals, on a single plane. But make no mistake, this is a scene of labor and class. The Longhorn cow, with its impressive horns and dappled hide, signifies wealth and prosperity. In contrast, the farm laborer is more like an extension of the scene, a single cog within a complex machine. Ward's artistic skill elevates a simple agricultural scene to a statement about the realities of labour, raising the everyday into the realm of high art, while simultaneously reminding us of the social dynamics at play. The painting isn't just a pretty picture, but a window into the economic and social structures of rural England.