Landscape with Figure (from McGuire Scrapbook) 1807 - 1868

Landscape with Figure is an undated pencil on paper drawing, made by William Sidney Mount, an American painter known for his genre scenes of rural life. Mount lived in a time of significant social and economic change. The rise of Jacksonian democracy, westward expansion, and growing tensions over slavery deeply influenced his perspective. While celebrated for his depictions of everyday life, his work often romanticizes rural existence, glossing over the harsh realities faced by many, particularly enslaved and marginalized communities. In "Landscape with Figure", we see a solitary figure walking away from us on a path. The ambiguity of the figure allows us to imagine their story. The delicate rendering of the trees and distant house evokes a quiet, almost melancholic mood. Mount’s work invites us to consider how notions of the American landscape are intertwined with complex histories of labor, identity, and belonging. It encourages us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are left out.