The Hay Wain

The story

A horse-drawn hay cart (a 'wain') crosses the River Stour at Flatford Mill in Suffolk, where Constable grew up. It did not sell in London. In Paris in 1824 it won a gold medal and inspired young French painters like Delacroix.

Look closer

1. The small flicks of white paint on the leaves and water — critics called them 'Constable's snow'.
2. The dog on the bank, watching the cart.
3. The clouds. Constable made hundreds of sky studies outdoors, noting the date, time and wind.

Why we can show it

John Constable died in 1837. UK copyright lasts for the artist’s life plus 70 years, so even under today’s rules this painting would have been free for anyone to show since 1908. The photograph is a faithful copy of a flat work, which creates no new copyright. We do not store the picture: it comes from Wikimedia Commons each time it is needed. More on this.