Skip to Content
Today Open today 11–8

Rainy Day

A work made of oil on canvas.

Image actions

  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

1906

Artist:

Frank Weston Benson
American, 1862–1951

About this artwork

In this interior scene of the artist’s summer residence in Maine, American Impressionist Frank Weston Benson depicted his daughter Elisabeth curled up in a rattan chair near a large fireplace. Benson is best known for his outdoor figural compositions, which often feature his wife or children in sun-filled, breezy landscapes. Rainy Day, in contrast, is a study of the subtler effects of interior light. The artist captured the soft, filtered light emanating from the left and embers glowing at far right. Benson was one of a number of late-19th-century artists who painted scenes of contemplative women in interiors, sometimes engaged in activities like sewing or reading, suggesting a cultural link between domesticity and femininity.

Status

On View, Gallery 178

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Frank Weston Benson

Title

Rainy Day

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1906

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed lower right: F. W. Benson, 1906

Dimensions

63.5 × 76.2 cm (25 × 30 in.)

Credit Line

Friends of American Art Collection

Reference Number

1910.314

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share