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Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
Catalogue Entry
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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
Hills no. 10.0.13
Baur no. 149
Writing His Lesson
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston title: Writing to Father
Alternate titles: A Letter to Father; The First Letter; The Young Letter Writer; Young Letter Writer
1863
Oil on composition board
12 x 9 1/4 in. (30.5 x 23.5 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: E. Johnson./-63
Markings
Verso: Y. L. W. by Eastman Johnson
Provenance
Robert Morrison Olyphant, New York, by 1864 and until 1877 (as Writing His Lesson and Young Letter Writer, respectively)
[R. Somerville, auctioneer, December 18-19, 1877, Mr. Robert M. Olyphant's collection of paintings by American artists, no. 140 (as The First Letter)]
E. W. Dickerson, December 18 or 19, 1877 (by purchase)
Mrs. Edward Ward McMahon, Pelham, New York, by 1940 (as Young Letter Writer)
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1953
Victor D. Spark, New York, 1953
Maxim Karolik, Newport, Rhode Island, by 1960
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1964 (by bequest)
Exhibitions
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. 178, as Writing His Lesson, owner Robt. Olyphant, New York.1869 Artists' Fund Society
Artists' Fund Society, Barker & Theall's Gallery, New York, 1869, as A Letter to Father.1876 Young Women's Christian Association
Young Women's Christian Association, New York, May 1876, no. 86, as The Young Letter Writer, owner R. M. Olyphant.1876 NAD and Met
National Academy of Design and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The New York Centennial Loan Exhibition, June 23–November 10, 1876, no. 245, as Young Letter Writer, owner R. M. Olyphant.1961 Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., The Civil War: The Artists' Record, November 17–December 31, 1961. (Williams 1961), no. 209, as Writing to Father. Traveled to: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, February 1–March 4, 1962.References
Great Central Fair 1864
Paintings, Drawings, Statuary in the Great Central Fair. Philadelphia: Great Central Fair, 1864. Exhibition catalogue (1864 Great Central Fair for the Benefit of the U.S. Sanitary Commission), p. 178, as Writing His Lesson.Tuckerman 1867
Tuckerman, Henry T. Book of the American Artists: American Artist Life. New York: G. P. Putnam & Son, 1867, pp. 470, 625, as Young Letter Writer.New York Times 1869
"Sale of Pictures for the Benefit of the Artists' Fund Society." New York Times, December 22, 1869, p. 5: "Among the highest-priced pictures were the following: "Boy of Venice," by GIFFORD, $310; "A Letter to Father," by E. JOHNSON, $530…," as A Letter to Father.Somerville Art Gallery 1877
Somerville Art Gallery. Catalogue of Robert M. Olyphant's Collection of Paintings by American Artists. New York: Somerville Art Gallery, 1877. Sale catalogue, p. 27, no. 140, as The First Letter, 9 x 11 1/2.Baur 1940
Baur, John I. H. An American Genre Painter: Eastman Johnson, 1824–1906. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, 1940. Exhibition catalogue (1939 Brooklyn Museum), p. 66, no. 149, as Young Letter Writer.Williams 1961
Williams, Hermann Warner. The Civil War: The Artists' Record. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1961. Exhibition catalogue (1961 Corcoran Gallery of Art), checklist, no. 209.MFA Boston 1969
American Paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts. Vols. 1 and 2. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1969.Simon 2003
Simon, David L. "Eastman Johnson's Lunchtime." Colby Quarterly 39, no. 4 (December 2003).Related work
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Keywords
- Subject matter:
Record last updated September 10, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Writing His Lesson, 1863 (Hills no. 10.0.13)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=108 (accessed on April 26, 2024).