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Overview

Information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I, pages 318-322, which is available as a free PDF at https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/american-paintings-19th-century-part-1.pdf

Inscription

lower right: HOMER '77

Provenance

(Sale, Leavitt Art Rooms, New York, 29-30 January 1878, 2nd day, no. 95). (Doll & Richards, Boston, June 1878); sold 1 July 1878 to Stephen Westcott Nickerson, Narraganset Hotel, Providence, Rhode Island.[1] Charles T. Barney [1851-1907], New York.[2] Edward C.J. Runge [1847-1916], New York; (his sale, American Art Association, New York, 9 January 1902, no. 71); purchased by E.A. Rorke. M.J. Hegarty, White Plains, New York, c. 1911; consigned 30 July 1936 to (M. Knoedler & Co., New York);[3] sold 10 May 1943 to Dr. Philip G. Stevens, New Haven, Connecticut,[4] until at least 1944.[5] H. B. Yotnakparian. Polly M. Leavitt, Bangor, Maine. Theodore Leavitt, New York, until at least 1950.[6] (Robert Carlen Galleries, Philadelphia); probably sold 1951 to Irving H. Vogel, Philadelphia.[7] (Wildenstein & Co., New York), by 1954 until 1957.[8] Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Shaye, Detroit, 1958 until at least May 1962.[9] (Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, New York); sold December 1964 to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia;[10] gift 1985 to NGA.

Exhibition History

1936
Winslow Homer Centenary Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1936-1937, no. 16.
1941
Exhibition of Paintings by Winslow Homer, Babcock Galleries, New York, 1941, no. 19.
1944
Winslow Homer, Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, 1944, no. 13.
1950
Dramatic Choices: The Theater Collects, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, 1950, no. 31.
1961
American Painting 1865-1905, The Art Gallery of Toronto; Winnipeg Art Gallery Association; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1961, no. 35.
1962
American Paintings and Drawings from Michigan Collections, The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1962, no. 67.
1973
Winslow Homer, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Art Institute of Chicago, 1973, no. 38.
1986
Gifts to the Nation: Selected Acquisitions from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1986, unnumbered checklist, repro.
1995
Winslow Homer. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1995-1996, no. 88, repro.
1999
An Enduring Legacy: Masterpieces from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1999-2000, no cat.
2005
Winslow Homer in the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2005-2006, unnumbered brochure.

Technical Summary

The medium-weight, plain-weave fabric support has been lined, but there is cusping along all four cut edges. Over the white ground a transparent brown layer was applied that shows through the upper paint layer in some areas. The paint is generally fluid and translucent, with brushstrokes of opaque paint applied both under and over the more translucent layers. X-radiography reveals minor changes: a round neckline beneath the scarf, and a pentimento of the woman's right hand. Infrared reflectography shows slight adjustments in the right side of her hat and to the right of her upper arm. There is a moderate amount of inpainting throughout. The varnish is uneven and has become slightly hazy.

Bibliography

1878
"Gossip of Local Art Circles." New York Daily Graphic (16 January 1878): 458.
1878
"The Annual Sale of American Pictures." New York Evening Post (25 January 1878): 3.
1878
"The Sale of American Pictures." New York Evening Post (31 January 1878): 3.
1910
Chase, J. Eastman. "Some Recollections of Winslow Homer." Harper's Weekly 54 (22 October 1910): 13.
1937
Pène du Bois, Guy. "Two Exhibitions of Winslow Homer." Magazine of Art 30 (January 1937): 50, repro. 51.
1957
Arts Magazine 31 (September 1957): repro. 4 (advertisement).
1959
Goodrich, Lloyd. Winslow Homer. New York, 1959: repro. 40.
1961
Gardner, Albert Ten Eyck. Winslow Homer, American Artist: His World and His Work. New York, 1961: color repro. 74.
1966
Flexner, James Thomas. The World of Winslow Homer, 1836-1910. New York, 1966: color repro. 84-85.
1972
Wilmerding, John. Winslow Homer. New York, 1972: 93.
1979
Hendricks, Gordon. The Life and Work of Winslow Homer. New York, 1979: 133, detail repro. 127.
1988
Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. Rev. ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988: 122, no. 38, color repro.
1990
Carren, Rachel Ann. "From Reality to Symbol: Images of Children in the Art of Winslow Homer." 2 vols. Ph.D. diss., University of Maryland, 1990: 1:x, 149-150; 2:repro. 61.
1990
Cikovsky, Nicolai, Jr. "Winslow Homer's Unfinished Business." In American Art around 1900: Lectures in Memory of Daniel Fraad. Doreen Bolger and Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., eds. Studies in the History of Art, 37, Symposium Papers 21 (1990): 106, repro. 108.
1990
Cikovsky, Nicolai, Jr. "Winslow Homer's Unfinished Business." In American Art around 1900: Lectures in Memory of Daniel Fraad. In Studies in the History of Art 37 (1990): 106, repro. 108.
1992
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 204, repro.
1995
Winslow Homer. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1995-1996: no. 88.
1996
Kelly, Franklin, with Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Deborah Chotner, and John Davis. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1996: 318-322, color repro.
1997
Alcott, Louisa M. Unge Kvinder, Denmark, 1997, front cover, repro.
2005
Goodrich, Lloyd, and Abigail Booth Gerdts. Record of Works by Winslow Homer, vol. 3. New York: Spanierman Gallery, 2005, no. 640.

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