Falling Leaves

By the end of the 19th century the Vienna Woods, the wooded hills on the city's western edge, had become a favourite outing for Viennese day-trippers. Olga Wisinger-Florian takes us onto one of those paths in autumn. Rust, red and yellow leaves close over the track like a roof and cover the ground underfoot, so densely that the lone walker in the distance is almost swallowed by them. She wears a long dark dress and a pale hat, and a small brown dog waits close by. The canvas was first shown in 1899 at the Kunstsalon Pisko, a private gallery in Vienna. It made such an impression there that it was bought straight away for the Imperial Picture Gallery, the emperor's collection, and it has stayed in public hands ever since.