Eastman Johnson
American, 1824­1906
Husking Bee, Island of Nantucket
1876
Oil on canvas
69.2 x 137.6 cm
Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer Collection, 1922.444

In this Nantucket Island scene, friends and neighbors have gathered at one farm to shuck corn (remove the leaves and silk from corn cobs). What season is it? 

Look for the group of retired sea captains busily at work. What tells you a feast will follow the husking bee? (“Bee” is a very old word that means a gathering of people to work and amuse themselves.) What creatures are already scratching around among the husks for bits of corn to eat?