This autumn scene is typical of the many ‘sous-bois’ that Diaz painted in the Forest of Fontainebleau from the 1860s until the end of his life. It depicts a view looking across a pond through a glade of oak trees towards a distant clearing. To left of centre the composition is animated by the figure of a faggot gatherer, dressed in a red shawl and white cap and apron. The red of her shawl acts as a counterpoint to the greens and yellows of the foliage. The influence of Constable is evident in the rich, textured palette and the flecks of white animating the tree trunks. Diaz was also influenced by Théodore Rousseau who painted similar subjects.