“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October.” ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
It is a great autumn season here in Denver. Luckily we haven’t had snow yet, and the leaves are getting brighter by the day. I know that this is a potent time of year for people to be creative and express gratitude for many things, including their surroundings. As often happens, it got me thinking about what autumn was like during the Victorian era and how it showed up in art. Paint as a medium was enjoying a time of particular popularity and I became curious about how changing leaves would have shown up in paintings rather than in today’s social media images. I have to say – the two are perhaps equally stunning!
I enjoyed sourcing this collection of Victorian-era paintings of autumn leaves, along with some poems by Victorian writers who love this season as much as I do.
But first, a few photos from Denver.
Victorian paintings of autumn leaves
Autumn Days
Will Carleton
“Yellow, mellow, ripened days,
Sheltered in a golden coating;
O’er the dreamy, listless haze,
White and dainty cloudlets floating;
Winking at the blushing trees,
And the sombre, furrowed fallow;
Smiling at the airy ease,
Of the southward flying swallow.
Sweet and smiling are thy ways,
Beauteous, golden Autumn days.”
Fall, Leaves, Fall
Emily Brontë
“Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.”
October
Sarah E. Howard
“A huge bouquet of colors rare,
The maple stands aflame;
Autumnal tints are everywhere, —
What mystic artist came
And wrought this brilliant, gorgeous scene
Upon the forest’s waving green?
The frost bedecks each tiny thing
With jewels sparkling bright,
And bids the bristling chestnuts fling
Their treasures to the light;
And boys and squirrels — glad and free —
The merry harvesters shall be.”
More fall fun:
Victorian Greeting Cards for Autumn Holidays
Fun facts about America’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes, part 1
Fun facts about America’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes, part 2
The unexpected romantic history of bobbing for apples
Thank you, Leslie!
Again, another wonderful post Janice!
Thank you so much, Barb! I appreciate you reading. It was a really fun post to put together.
Hi,
I’m weird to me fall is not my favorite time of year. I prefer spring and summer. I can skip fall and winter. I spent 4 years in Hawaii while my husband was in the army and I never missed these two seasons. Sometimes I think I must have some Polynesian or Hawaiian blood in my distant ancestry because it was home for me. Then he retired and we returned to our home state of TX.
One of your best blogs yet! This one raised awareness of artists and seasonal paintings. Your selections are exciting!
Barb Sweat, Colorado Springs