Painted in 1885, "Gossip" is an early genre scene by John William Waterhouse, executed during a period when his work was deeply rooted in everyday realism, before his later transition to the romanticized mythological and literary themes of the Pre-Raphaelites. The canvas captures a quiet moment of rural domestic life: a young woman engaged in needlework in a backyard chats with two other women leaning over a weathered brick wall, while a small child sits near her feet. The piece strongly reflects the influence of French plein-air realism and the style of Jules Bastien-Lepage, demonstrated through its careful rendering of soft natural light, the detailed texture of the brickwork, and a muted, earthy color palette. The painting is currently held in a private collection.