Jerome Thompson
The son of an itinerant portrait painter, Jerome Thompson began his career as a sign painter and later became a successful portrait painter. He trained himself despite his father’s fierce opposition—although Cephas Thompson was an artist, he encouraged his older son to become an artist but wanted Jerome to become a farmer. Jerome persisted, and by 1850 he earned critical praise for his genre subjects—the works for which he is perhaps best remembered today.
What makes you nostalgic?
This painting shows a group of picnickers near Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont. In the mid-19th century, rapid industrialization began to replace the agrarian lifestyle that had historically defined American life. Rural sightseeing, mountain hikes, and pastoral picnics—or images of these activities—provided idealized encounters with nature for city dwellers seeking a respite from the toil and troubles of city life.
Museum purchase, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
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