In the Park

Eliza Draper Gardiner’s scenes of childhood combine sentimentality with strong composition. Here the arrangement is especially effective: the area circumscribed by the curved tree and curved bank echoes the form of a goose’s rear end. The subtle palette and painterly color—so characteristic of Gardiner’s work—suggest the innocence of childhood. Gardiner draws us into the scene through the boy’s total absorption in the bird’s movements. Let’s hope the boy has enough treats to satisfy the goose! A lifelong art teacher and lifelong Rhode Islander, Gardiner converted a barn into a studio on a small cove near Providence. After printing her woodcuts, she hung them on a clothesline to dry, just the kind of thing a child in one of her prints might have done.