2. Horses run from their master in a field, indicating man's weak control over wild animals.
3. A mother brings a bouquet of wildflowers to her baby on the banks of the creek, possibly painted in response to Cole's recent marriage to Maria Bartow.
5. A man in a rowboat is peacefully enjoying nature's gifts without disturbing them.
6. A hunter stands by a fence looking at the mother and child. Even though this figure may symbolize human control over nature, some historians suggest that, since he wears the same hat as the artist in The Oxbow, he may be another self-portrait.
7. A tree stump felled by an axe conveys Cole's warning that the Catskill scenery is in danger of being destroyed.