This classical oil painting features a young girl with blonde curls walking alongside a large Saint Bernard dog. The girl wears a striking, long green velvet-style coat with gold buttons, black stockings, and a vibrant red hat adorned with a white feather. She holds the dog's collar with one hand while the dog, a gentle giant with brown and white fur, trots beside her with an umbrella held firmly in its mouth.
The pair is situated on a dirt path in what appears to be a park or wooded area during the late autumn or winter. The background is composed of bare trees, a low fence, and a muted, soft-focus landscape that suggests a chilly, overcast day. The composition places the girl and the dog in the center foreground, creating a warm and charming focal point against the cooler, more subdued tones of the environment.
The artwork uses a rich, painterly style with naturalistic details in the texture of the dog's fur and the girl's clothing. The color palette relies heavily on the contrast between the saturated green and red of the girl's outfit and the earthy browns, grays, and whites of the dog and the surrounding path. The lighting is soft and diffused, contributing to a sentimental and nostalgic mood characteristic of late 19th-century genre painting. A small sign at the bottom identifies the work as 'Off to School' by Charles Burton Barber.