The central artwork is a realist oil painting titled "Harvest" (1874) by Léon-Augustin L'Hermitte. It depicts a wide, rural landscape where five women are diligently harvesting wheat in a large field. The scene captures the essence of 19th-century peasant life, focusing on the rhythmic, labor-intensive nature of the harvest. The composition is grounded by the figures distributed across the foreground, while the expansive, rolling hills and distant trees in the background provide a sense of scale and depth to the countryside setting.
Technically, the painting features a muted, earthy color palette dominated by golden wheat, dark brown soil, and the muted greens of the distant foliage. The lighting is soft and diffused, characteristic of an overcast day, which casts minimal shadows and gives the entire scene a somber yet peaceful atmosphere. Each woman is dressed in traditional working garments, including white blouses, dark skirts, and head coverings. Their postures vary from standing to bending low as they cut the stalks with handheld sickles, demonstrating the collective physical effort involved in the task.
In addition to the main illustration, a smaller inset image on the right displays a separate painting titled "Returning from the Fields" (c. 1887), showing a lone woman walking along a path carrying a wooden rake across her shoulders. The brushwork throughout both images is smooth and detailed, typical of the academic realist style of the era, emphasizing textures in the clothing, the dry wheat, and the textured landscape.