In Winter Chores, c. 1910, Peleg Franklin Brownell, American/Canadian, 1856–1946, presents a quietly evocative rural scene centred on daily farm labour in winter. An elderly woman tends to her animals—cows, chickens, and a rooster—near a farmhouse and adjoining shed, their roofs heavily laden with snow. The composition guides the eye from the farmyard activity toward an icy pond, rolling hills, and the pale winter sky beyond. Patches of exposed green grass and lingering leaves on a foreground tree suggest the first snowfall of the season rather than the depths of winter. Despite the cold setting, Brownell’s palette introduces a sense of warmth and familiarity, conveying resilience, self-sufficiency, and an enduring connection to the land.

Peleg Franklin Brownell was a key figure in early Canadian art, known for his sensitive depictions of rural life and winter landscapes. Born in the United States, he later settled in Canada and became closely associated with Ottawa’s artistic community. Brownell studied in Paris at the Académie Julian, where he was exposed to academic realism and modern European approaches that informed his disciplined yet expressive style.

Brownell played an influential role as an educator and mentor in Canada. He taught at the Ottawa Art School and influenced a generation of Canadian artists, including future members and associates of the Group of Seven such as A.Y. Jackson. He exhibited widely with major institutions, including the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Art Association of Montreal, helping to shape the development of Canadian landscape painting in the early twentieth century. This oil on canvas measures 10 x 12 inches and is signed bottom right.