Like Lavery, Guthrie was one of the Glasgow Boys, a group of young painters who in the 1880’s aimed for a simple realism and lack of sentiment in their work. ‘To Pastures New’ was begun in Crowland, Lincolnshire during the summer of 1882. Guthrie completed the painting in Helenburgh the following winter in the studio of fellow artist, J.G.Whyte. Whyte’s daughter posed for the head and hands of the little girl and Guthrie used a stuffed goose to model the birds.
