Five o’clock tea, Edith Hayllar (1860–1948), oil on canvas, 18 x 14 in. (46 x 35 cm). Image is from a 2011 Christie’s auction. I assume the original is in a private collection.

My eye imediately goes to the the almost sihlouetted woman sitting at the top of a small flight of stairs, her arm around a curled up dog (who I presume is waiting for her tea companion). I’m drawn by the contrast between her shadowed face and the brighter ground, as well as the contrast of the white flowers on her hat against the darker foliage behind.

I’m then led, in something of a spiral, to the table setting with its shining silver and Delft blue, set againt a colorful spray of flowers, and back to the gate in the courtyard and the inviting path beyond.

OK, so I missed the 2026 Autumnal Equinox by two days, but I can still celebrate. Here are a few paintings of Autumn landscapes, mostly from the 19th century.

You can find many of them larger from this Wikimedia Commons page (scroll down and notice the link to “next page” at bottom).

Others you can look up easily enough.

(Images above, links are to Lines and Colors posts): Albert Bierstadt, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Ekaterina Junge, Frederic Edwin Church, H.A. Brendekilde, George Inness, Isaac Levitan, Claude Monet, Peder Mork Monsted, Alfred Smith, Tadeusz Styka, Frits Thaulow, Walter Moras.