This painting shows a young peasant woman who is part of a group harvesting hay. The painting has vivid colors, and one can observe that the woman’s clothing have the colors of the French national flag. The style is very realistic, with brushstrokes that suggests the bit of hay flying through the air. The scene is nevertheless idealized, because it gives no idea of the strenuous and difficult nature of the work. The only negative element is the clouds at upper left, which indicate a coming storm. This might require the participation of women in a task that was normally for men, to bring in the harvest before the rain arrived.
