This mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Alfred Walter Williams (1824-1905) depicts a figure dragging bracken within rugged Welsh upland scenery.Nestled between formidable north-Walian peaks, a dilapidated cottage is near-buried under foliage. Its thatch, an amalgam of homespun repairs, its doorway bereft of adequate timber. Two sunlit trees stand alongside, akin to saintly old friends providing shade for the fallen.It’s a tale of woe for this young desperate family, yet equally one of perseverance amid impossible circumstances. He’s gathering bracken while his wife tends to the animals. Ever-creative with the resources on their doorstep.Alfred Walter Williams studied under his father, Edward Williams, and maintained a close relationship with his brother, the artist Sidney Richard Percy. Stylistically, the two brothers are similar, although perhaps Alfred’s works generally carry less grandiosity. Five of his brothers were painters, with some altering their surna...