Joseph Jacobus Heppener was a Dutch painter who lived and worked in the heart of the Victorian era, painting in a straight Academic style with a superb eye for detail and clarity. Here, we see "wash day" with maids doing the laundry by hand at the edge of a river running through a rural village. A close look at the rendering of the cows gives you a good idea of Heppener's talent, and this level of mastery with detail extends across the entire canvas. A large painting in a fine frame, oil on board, with lots of wall power and museum-quality presence.