Harrowing--View near the Cross Fells c. 1840

Peter De Wint made this watercolor titled 'Harrowing--View near the Cross Fells' sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It shows an agricultural scene in England. But there’s more to this image than meets the eye. Look at the way De Wint uses the landscape, the weather, and the human figures within it. These visual codes speak volumes about the social and economic realities of rural life in early 19th-century England. This was a period of agricultural innovation, but also of significant social upheaval, as traditional farming practices were challenged by industrialization and urbanization. What do we know about the enclosure acts that enabled wealthy land owners to fence off common land? To truly understand this artwork, we need to look at the historical context. By consulting archives, agricultural records, and social histories, we can begin to unpack the complex web of power relations that shaped not only the landscape itself but also the lives of those who worked it. Remember, art is never created in a vacuum; it is always a reflection of the society that produces it.