Dismissal of School on an October Afternoon was painted by Henry Inman. An elected founding member of the National Academy of Design, Inman was well known in the New York City art scene. Although predominately known for his portrait paintings, Henry Inman was also known for painting genre scenes and literary subjects. Commissioned by James Cozzens, this painting was finished on November 8, 1845, which makes it his last completed painting before his January 1846 death. It is a culmination of his successful career, as it is a blend of landscape, genre, and literary reference. Painting This depicts a scene of childhood in mid-1840s rural America. The sweeping view of the northeastern American landscape coupled with the romantic depiction of an autumn afternoon shows the influence of the Hudson River School. Inman alludes to Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which was also set in the Hudson Valley. Referencing the protagonist in Irving’s story, the painting’s teacher is Ichabod Crane, who is seen in the background at the schoolhouse's door. Scrawled across the doorframe is “I. Crane,” which viewers of the time would have recognized and connected to Irving’s story. In Irving's tale of this schoolteacher, Crane supposedly let the students out early one school day. At the left of the painting, is an African American servant, who in Irving's story, brought Ichabod Crane a note inviting him to attend "a merry-making" which led to an early class dismissal. In Irving's story, the students "bursting forth like a legion of young imps, yelping and racketing about the green in joy at their early emancipation." Perhaps this is why the children in the painting are so ecstatic with their wide grins and playful gestures. Their lunch pails and some clothing are strewn across the foreground of the painting, creating space for them to play with each other. Contrasting with Irving's tale, Inman creates an idealized scene of childhood, the schoolchildren are simultaneously having fun while appearing to be well-mannered and peaceful. According to art historian William H. Gerdts, Inman was known for his kind portrayals of people; "He made young mothers more radiant, and children more idyllic, and old men more benevolent." With tinges of romanticism, Inman only portrayed the goodness in his themes, and encouraged other artists of his generation to “free themselves of rancor”. He was recounted as “one of Nature’s gentlemen” by his contemporary artists. A few months