art.wikisort.org - Painting

The letter is an 1884 painting by the Australian artist Frederick McCubbin. The painting depicts a young woman reading a letter walking in the bush alongside a stream.[1]

The letter
Artist	Frederick McCubbin
Year	1884
Medium	oil on canvas
Dimensions	69.1 cm × 51.0 cm (27.2 in × 20.1 in)
Location	Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat
Website	https://artgalleryofballarat.com.au/ehive-object/884198/

The model for the woman was the artist's sister Harriet McCubbin (known as "Polly"), an art student.[1] The setting is believed to have been worked up from en plein air sketches of the Yarra River near Darebin Creek.[1]

A privately held sister piece, featuring the woman reading the letter without the bush setting will be auctioned in November 2021.[2]

The painting was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 1946 and remains part of its collection.[3]

References

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