The Hay Wain by John Constable depicts a rural scene on the River Stour in 1821. The painting shows a wagon crossing the stream near Flatford Mill and cottage, which belonged to Constable's father. It is one of Constable's "six-footers" series of paintings. The foreground grabs attention with the stream and cart crossing, while the background includes a house, trees, sky, woman, dog and farmers working in fields. Constable realistically portrayed the overcast sky and scattered light through dark tones and complementary colors to capture the calm and peaceful rural lifestyle along the river.