This captivating harvest scene is an extraordinary example of the mature style of Léon Augustin Lhermitte, one of the most accomplished French Realist painters of the 19th century. Entitled Foins, Faucher's et Deux Femmes le Matin, the exquisite oil on canvas deftly captures the life of the rural working class against a stunning harvest landscape. From the workers' clothing and postures to the wide expanse of the golden-green field, the work is an ode to the dignity of the worker, presenting a nostalgic, tranquil image of rural life. A very similar work by Lhermitte in both subject and composition is currently in the collection of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University (St. Louis).

Such rural scenes boast a rich history in 19th-century France, beginning with the groundbreaking oeuvre of the Realist painter Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), an artist whose works revolutionized the social impact of fine art. Lhermitte's compositions are undeniably indebted to the great Millet, so much so that Vincent van Gogh affectionately dubbed him "Millet the Second." Yet, unlike Millet, Lhermitte's work rejuvenated these older themes by executing them with progressive techniques, effectively revealing the lasting impact of the Impressionists. This particular oil on canvas, with its loosely rendered landscape and pastel palette, is exemplary of the influence that Impressionism had even on artists working within the official system in France.
Lhermitte was born in Mont Saint-Père in Aisne and was the only son of a village schoolmaster. His talent for drawing was recognized at an early age, winning him an annual education grant from the government. In 1863, he traveled to Paris to study at the Petite École, where he worked under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran and befriended Jean-Charles Cazin, Alphonse Legros, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Auguste Rodin. After making his debut in 1864, Lhermitte exhibited regularly at the Salon throughout his career and was awarded the prestigious Legion d'Honneur in 1884.
This important work is pictured on page 151 of Léon Augustin Lhermitte: Catalogue Raisonné, Paris 1991, by M. Le Pelley Fonteny, no, 247, as well as in Barbizon House: An Illustrated Record, London, 1926, by D. Coral Thomson, no.15.