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In the Shadow of the Tree, c.1914

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman sitting outside and reading under a parasol with a baby in a pram sleeping beside her. The pair are shaded by a tall tree and soft dappled light falls on the parasol and the baby's blanket.

Helen McNicoll, In the Shadow of the Tree, c.1914, oil on canvas, 100.3 x 81.7 cm, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City.

McNicoll is best known today as a painter of women and children, but few of her works can be described as representations of motherhood. In the Shadow of the Tree is one possible exception. This moment of repose is a good example of the tranquil studies of modern women taken up by McNicoll in the later years of her career. These works, frequently featuring women reading and sewing, belong to a long artistic tradition that record women inhabiting their own inner worlds while quietly performing domestic tasks or leisure activities.

Gallery

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman and two children, all dressed in white, outside on a sunny day. They are standing in a field with tall grass and trees blowing in the wind; a beach is seen in the distance. The woman is holding a white parasol and a young girl, facing away from the viewer, is holding onto her wide-brimmed hat.

Sunny September, 1913

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman sitting outside and reading under a parasol with a baby in a pram sleeping beside her. The pair are shaded by a tall tree and soft dappled light falls on the parasol and the baby's blanket.

In the Shadow of the Tree, c.1914

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman with strawberry blonde hair standing in the shade of a tree and reaching up into the branches. A nearly-full basket of apples sits on the ground beside her.

The Apple Gatherer, c.1911

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a young blonde girl wearing a white dress. She is standing in the middle of a field with tall grasses painted in yellows and light greens and dotted with small purple flowers. She is holding a large metal bucket and three chickens follow behind her. Small farm buildings and fences are seen in the top left of the frame.

The Little Worker, c.1907

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a warmly lit white room decorated in Victorian or Edwardian-era furnishings. A wooden dresser with a large mirror sits next to a fireplace. White linens cover a rocking chair and a seat by the window.

Interior, c.1910

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman in a white dress standing near an open door. Outside we can see a large tree while inside there is a dresser with a large mirror. The woman is sewing and looking down at a small piece of fabric in her hands.

The Open Door, c.1913

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of two women sitting on the beach under the shade of a tent. One woman, wearing a white dress, sits on a blanket and leans over a sketchbook. The other woman, wearing a hat and painting smock, looks in a box of painting materials on her lap. People playing in the water are visible near the top of the frame.

Under the Shadow of the Tent

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a brunette woman in a white dress seated on a sofa covered in a bright floral pattern. She is sewing and looking down at the fabric in her hands.

The Chintz Sofa, c.1913

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a brunette woman in a ballgown with a tiered white skirt. She is seated in front of a tall mirror, hands in her lap, and wearing a pink and red striped shawl around her shoulders.

The Victorian Dress, 1914

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman and two children, all dressed in white, outside on a sunny day. They are standing in a field with tall grass and trees blowing in the wind; a beach is seen in the distance. The woman is holding a white parasol and a young girl, facing away from the viewer, is holding onto her wide-brimmed hat.

Sunny September, 1913

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman sitting outside and reading under a parasol with a baby in a pram sleeping beside her. The pair are shaded by a tall tree and soft dappled light falls on the parasol and the baby's blanket.

In the Shadow of the Tree, c.1914

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman with strawberry blonde hair standing in the shade of a tree and reaching up into the branches. A nearly-full basket of apples sits on the ground beside her.

The Apple Gatherer, c.1911

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a young blonde girl wearing a white dress. She is standing in the middle of a field with tall grasses painted in yellows and light greens and dotted with small purple flowers. She is holding a large metal bucket and three chickens follow behind her. Small farm buildings and fences are seen in the top left of the frame.

The Little Worker, c.1907

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a warmly lit white room decorated in Victorian or Edwardian-era furnishings. A wooden dresser with a large mirror sits next to a fireplace. White linens cover a rocking chair and a seat by the window.

Interior, c.1910

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a woman in a white dress standing near an open door. Outside we can see a large tree while inside there is a dresser with a large mirror. The woman is sewing and looking down at a small piece of fabric in her hands.

The Open Door, c.1913

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of two women sitting on the beach under the shade of a tent. One woman, wearing a white dress, sits on a blanket and leans over a sketchbook. The other woman, wearing a hat and painting smock, looks in a box of painting materials on her lap. People playing in the water are visible near the top of the frame.

Under the Shadow of the Tent

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a brunette woman in a white dress seated on a sofa covered in a bright floral pattern. She is sewing and looking down at the fabric in her hands.

The Chintz Sofa, c.1913

Impressionist-style painting by Helen McNicoll of a brunette woman in a ballgown with a tiered white skirt. She is seated in front of a tall mirror, hands in her lap, and wearing a pink and red striped shawl around her shoulders.

The Victorian Dress, 1914

In the Shadow of the Tree - Art Canada