Henry W. Houston

1837

Elias V. Coe

Associated Names
Elias V. Coe

Artist, American, 1794 - 1843

The image shows a man depicted from the waist up, holding surveying instruments in his hands. He is positioned facing slightly to the left while looking directly at the viewer. His facial features are distinct with a straight nose, thin lips, and light complexion, and his hair is short and dark, neatly combed back. He is dressed in formal attire consisting of a black suit with a white shirt and a black necktie. The man is holding a yellow ruler-like tool in one hand while the other hand holds a compass. Behind him, there is a surveyor's transit on a tripod. The background includes a tree with lush green leaves and a partially cloudy sky.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Recorded as from New Jersey. Purchased in 1950 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift to NGA, 1957.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1957

  • American Primitive Painting from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part II, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1957, no. 65.

1968

  • The American Primitive Paintings Exhibit, organized by the Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, for the de Saisset Art Gallery, University of Santa Clara, 1968.

1975

  • American Folk Art: Tour in the Arkansas Artmobile Bicentennial Exhibition, traveling exhibition organized by the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, 1975-1976, no cat.

1981

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, 1981-1982, no. 25 (cat. by Ronald McKnight Melvin).

1993

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, 1993-1994.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, Savannah, Georgia, 1993.

1994

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Heckscher Museum, Huntington, New York, 1994.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Louisiana Arts and Science Center, Baton Rouge, 1994-1995.

1995

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), McKissick Museum, Columbia, South Carolina, 1995.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Boise Art Museum, Idaho, 1995.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), St. John's Museum of Art, Wilmington, North Carolina, 1995-1996.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Pensacola Museum of Art, Florida, 1995.

1996

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California, 1996.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Maier Museum of Art, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1996.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 1996.

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Gainseville, 1996-1997.

1997

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, 1997.

1998

  • American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1998.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 42, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 131, repro.

1992

  • Chotner, Deborah, with contributions by Julie Aronson, Sarah D. Cash, and Laurie Weitzenkorn. American Naive Paintings. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 71, 74, color repro. 73.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 144, repro.

1996

  • American Naive Paintings: From the National Gallery of Art. American Art Review, Vol. VIII, No. 6, 1996, no. 133, repro.

Inscriptions

on reverse (no longer visible, photo in object file [1957.11.6] in NGA curatorial records): Henry W. Houston / AE 46 / Painted by E. V Coe / 1837.

Wikidata ID

Q20186205

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