Ernest Lawson's On the Harlem shows a view from Manhattan looking across the Harlem River towards the Fordham section of the Bronx. Despite painting with broken and layered brushwork, Lawson took enough care to render the large Webb's Academy and Home for Ship Builders at the right and the Catholic Orphan's Asylum at the left. Composed primarily of pale greens and earthy ochre tones, On the Harlem effectively conveys the frigid and austere conditions of winter.
Lawson was intimately connected with Kansas City. He received his first art training at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he met his wife Ella Holman. He returned to Kansas City to teach at various stages of his career.
