Boy and Girl at a Well

The present work was inspired by Homer’s time at Houghton Farm, a working homestead in Mountainville, New York, owned by the artist’s first and most important patron, Lawson Valentine. A varnish manufacturer who eventually owned approximately forty works by the artist, Valentine purchased Houghton Farm in 1876. Homer visited the property shortly thereafter, and he returned for several extended visits over the following years. As embodied by Boy and Girl at a Well, Homer's concentration on the simple ways of the past reflected the need for hope and peace in America during the period of recovery following the Civil War.

Along with Boy and Girl on a Swing, the present work and its counterpart mark an exciting rediscovery of Winslow Homer's watercolors. The current owner's great-great-grandmother, Aucelia Harriett Bentley Burtis, likely acquired these works at auction in 1879 in Chicago, and they have been passed down through the family since.

An archivist, the present owner removed the works from the wall to be safely stored, making copies of each to hang in her office. Following a colleague expressing surprise regarding Homer works hanging in the office, the present owner applied for Antiques Roadshow to further investigate. During filming in Arkansas, it was concluded that these works were, in fact, previously unlocated watercolors by the eminent American master.