The Surprise.

PrinterPrinted by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg (American, 1840 - 1867)

PublisherPublished by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg (American, 1840 - 1867)

PublisherPublished by D. Needham (American, 1808 - 1888)

Date1847

MediumLithography; printer's ink and watercolor on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 8 1/16 x 12 5/16in. (20.5 x 31.3cm) Sheet (height x width): 9 13/16 x 13 5/16in. (24.9 x 33.8cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number1982.43.0

DescriptionA man, probably a schoolmaster, looks through a crack in a board fence, at the right. He wears a coat, shirt, necktie, and trousers. His right knee rests on a wooden bench. Grass, bushes, and flowers, including what appear to roses, grow nearby. At the left, boys and girls stand outside a small building. The boys wear pants and jackets or tunics. Some wear suspenders. The girls wear dresses. A girl standing in the doorway wears an apron. Some boys hold slates or books. One boy lies on the ground in the foreground. His book and slate lie on the ground in front of him. Another boy is leaning out an open window. He wears eyeglasses and a pointed Phrygian cap. In his right hand he holds a whisk broom or torch. Two ducks are in the left foreground. One of them drinks out of a puddle or small pond.

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