In the etching The Goose Pond, East Hampton, a small path on the right leads us into the trees, where we see geese gather and feed in the reeds. Some birds have taken to the pond, and the waters lead us back to another line of trees that directs us to the opposite shore. There we explore the features of the rustic windmill, and as our gaze moves upward, we see great, whirling masses of clouds in the sky.

In addition to being a wonderful display of Mary Nimmo Moran’s compositional skill, this etching is significant for several reasons. Known as Town Pond today, the waterway is across the street from the restored home and studio of Nimmo Moran and her husband, the artist Thomas Moran (1837–1926).¹ The windmill on the horizon is next to South End Cemetery, which is the location of the Moran family tomb, where the artists and their children are buried.² In Nimmo Moran’s lifetime, she became a member of London’s Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, the first woman to achieve this distinction. The group selected The Goose Pond, East Hampton as her diploma piece—the work most representative of her talent.³

—Sandra Pauly, Henry Luce Foundation Curatorial Scholar for Moran Collection Research, 2021

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¹ Morand and Friese, Prints of Nature, 7. The Morans began visiting East Hampton, Long Island, in 1878, and in 1883–84 built a home and studio on its Main Street.
² Vittoria, “Nature and Nostalgia in the Art of Mary Nimmo Moran,” 303.
³ Morand and Friese, Prints of Nature, 7, 12. See also the website of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, formerly the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, which provides information on its history, the diploma collection, and members.