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Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
Patricia Hills, PhD, Founder and Director | Abigael MacGibeny, MA, Project Manager

Catalogue Entry

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Photo: The Old Print Shop
Working for the Fair, 1862, December 25 (Hills no. 10.0.8). Per Hills 2021-09-21, handwriting on ad seems to refer to a negative, and contains
Per Hills 2021-09-21, handwriting on ad seems to refer to a negative, and contains "neg 1976 [or 1476]," and "CAR"
Photo: Harry Shaw Newman Gallery advertisement, unknown publication and date
[ 10.0 Civil War Themes ]info
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10.0 Civil War Themes

Johnson was thirty-six years old when the Civil War began. Although he did not serve in the Union Army, he followed the Union troops in search of subjects that would appeal to a pro-Union audience. He also painted pictures of the homefront. —PH

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Hills no. 10.0.8
Working for the Fair
Alternate titles: Miss Margaret Gandy Knitting Socks for the Union Soldiers; Sewing for the Fair; Woman Sewing—Work for the Fair; Work for the Fair
1862, December 25
Oil on canvas
16 3/4 x 20 3/4 in. (42.5 x 52.7 cm)
Signed and dated lower left: E. Johnson E. Johnson/Dec. 25, 1862
Present whereabouts unknown
Description / Remarks

MacGibeny, 2021: The young woman is knitting, not sewing. This painting was once titled Miss Margaret Gandy Knitting Socks for the Union Soldiers; Margaret Gandy was the daughter of Sheppard Gandy, the painting's first known owner.

Frick Art Reference Library Photoarchive files, Eastman Johnson, "Working for the Fair," b13279336, accessed September 21, 2021: "The girl wears a red dress. The rest of the picture is mostly in shades of brown."

 

Provenance
Sheppard Gandy, by 1864
[Plaza Art Galleries, Inc., New York, September 12–14, 1945, Public Sale No. 2555, French, English and American Furniture, Objets D'Art, Paintings, Etc. from the Estate of Eugene B. Kline with Additions, no. 344 (as Miss Margaret Gandy Knitting Socks for The Union Soldiers)]
Harry Shaw Newman Gallery, 1946
Wildenstein and Company, New York
Present whereabouts unknown
Exhibitions
1864b U.S. Sanitary Commission
U.S. Sanitary Commission, New York, Art Exhibition at the Metropolitan Fair in Aid of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, April 4–23, 1864. (Exhibition catalogue: U.S. Sanitary Commission 1864), no. 138, as Working for the Fair, owner Sheppard Gandy.
1864 Great Central Fair for the Benefit of the U.S. Sanitary Commission
Great Central Fair for the Benefit of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, Philadelphia, June 1864. (Great Central Fair 1864), no. 328, as Working for the Fair, owner Sheppard Gandy, N.Y.
1870 NAD
National Academy of Design, New York, Summer 1870, no. 532, as Sewing for the Fair.
1946 M. Knoedler & Co.
M. Knoedler & Co, New York, Paintings and Drawings by Eastman Johnson, January 7–26, 1946. (Exhibition catalogue: M. Knoedler & Co. 1946), as Working for the Fair, not listed in exhibition catalogue. Traveled to: The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, March 1946 (California Palace 1946).
1948 Wildenstein & Co.
Wildenstein & Co, New York, Eastman Johnson, Summer 1948. (Wildenstein 1948), no. 3, as Work for the Fair.
1948 Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts
Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio, 1948–49, [possibly].
1949 Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art
Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art, Los Angeles, Winslow Homer 1836–1910, Eastman Johnson 1824–1906, February 4, 1949–May 7, 1950. (Exhibition catalogue: LACMA 1949), no. 10, as Work for the Fair. Traveled to: Denver Art Museum, Denver, 1949; Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego, 1949 (Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1949 (Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949); Oklahoma Arts Center, Oklahoma City, 1949 (Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949); Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1949 (Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949); Takoma Art League, Takoma, Washington, 1949 (Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949); Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio, 1949 (Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949).
References
U.S. Sanitary Commission 1864
Catalogue of the Art Exhibition at the Metropolitan Fair, in Aid of the U.S. Sanitary Commission. New York: U.S. Sanitary Commission, 1864. Exhibition catalogue (1864b U.S. Sanitary Commission), p. 11, no. 138, as Working for the Fair.
Plaza Art Galleries 1945b
French, English, and American Furniture, Objets d'Art, Paintings, Etc. New York: Plaza Art Galleries, September 12–14, 1945. Sale catalogue, p. 48, no. 344, as Miss Margaret Gandy Knitting Socks for the Union Soldiers.
Wildenstein 1948
Eastman Johnson. New York: Wildenstein, 1948. Exhibition catalogue (1948 Wildenstein & Co.), no. 3.
Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts Bulletin 1949
The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts Bulletin 19, no. 2 (Winter 1948–49), p. 5 with article by George Boas, reproduction courtesy of Wildenstein & Company [article not about Johnson].
Fine Arts Society of San Diego 1949
Winslow Homer 1836–1910; Eastman Johnson 1824–1906. San Diego, CA: Fine Arts Society of San Diego, 1949. Exhibition catalogue (1949 Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art), no. 10.
Harry Shaw Newman advertisement n.d.
"Harry Shaw Newman advertisement." Unknown publisher (date unknown), as Working for the Fair.
Keywords
Record last updated March 22, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Working for the Fair, 1862, December 25 (Hills no. 10.0.8)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=106 (accessed on April 27, 2024).