Winter scene of man walking up snow covered path followed by dog headed to house where two men speak at doorway. Man and young boy feeding animals in left background.
Winter in the Country. A Cold Morning, 1864 Hand-colored lithograph Many of George Henry Durrie’s winter scenes were reproduced in lithograph form by Currier & Ives. The images were popular with the American public who decorated their homes with seasonal scenes. Winter and holiday scenes are among the most nostalgic Currier & Ives prints and include Winter in the Country. A Cold Morning. Here a man walks through the snow, followed by his dog, to an idealized home. The two walk toward the house where several figures are gathered in conversation at the doorway. Men work in the barn while a man and young boy feed the animals (left background) and a woman discreetly observes the scene. The tree branches are coated with a blanket of fresh white snow. George Durrie spent most of his life in Connecticut and was known as the snowman because he painted so many winter scenes. The popularity of these scenes, especially snow in farm landscapes, introduced the snowscene into American 19th century painting. This print, produced after a painting of the same name now in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, was among one of the most popular that Currier & Ives marketed. The quiet scene of rural America remained successful years after Durrie’s death in 1863.
