Afternoon is a rare early painting by George Inness, created when the artist was only twenty one and actively shaping the foundations of his career. Although largely self-taught, Inness was immersed in a transformative period during the mid-eighteen forties, studying at the National Academy of Design in New York where he closely observed the work of Hudson River School painters such as Thomas Cole and Asher Durand. This moment marked his first public exhibitions at the Academy in 1844, followed by the opening of his own studio in 1848, placing Afternoon squarely within the formative years in which his artistic voice began to emerge. 

The painting also reflects the subtle influence of French landscaper Regis Francois Gignoux, under whom the young Inness studied before making his first trip to Europe in 1851. This early training helped shape the atmospheric sensitivity and poetic naturalism that would later define his mature style.

Afternoon carries distinguished provenance, having passed through the collections of several important nineteenth and early twentieth century New Yorkers, including politician Cornelius Gardiner, financier and philanthropist Emerson McMillian, and later the philanthropist Agnes Ladson Dana. This lineage, combined with the paintings exceptional early date, makes it an especially significant example from the beginning of Innesss enduring contribution to American landscape painting.