Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Inc. © 2021
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22.0 Boys and Girls Together
On occasion, Johnson painted boys and girls together. Most notable were his scenes of street musicians. During the 1870s Italian immigrant children earned money for their families by playing musical instruments in the city streets; such children were known as “slaves of the harp” [See John E. Zucchi, Little Slaves of the Harp: Italian Child Street Musicians in Nineteenth-Century Paris, London, and New York (McGill-Queens University Press, 1992)]. —PH
Hills no. 22.0.1
Street Musicians
Alternate title: The Musicians
1861
Oil on canvas
11 1/8 x 9 in. (28.3 x 22.9 cm)
Signed and dated lower left: E. Johnson/1861
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Description / Remarks
Hills examination note, 1986: Three children; boy with fiddle.
Upon examination in 1986, Hills thought the inscribed date could be 1861 or 1869. However, she believes the painting is stylistically closer to works Johnson did at the beginning of the decade, and therefore dates it 1861.
Markings
Inscribed on verso, across top stretcher bar, in pink crayon: EJ3
Provenance
Private collection, by 1986 (by descent)
References
Tuckerman, Henry T. Book of the American Artists: American Artist Life. New York: G. P. Putnam & Son, 1867, p. 626 [possibly].
Catalogue of the Entire Collection of Paintings, Belonging to Mr. Alexander White, of Chicago. Comprising the Masterpieces and Gems of the Great Modern Masters. New York: George A. Leavitt & Co., December 12–13, 1871. Sale catalogue, p. 31, no. 107 [possibly, as Street Musicians].
Society of Decorative Arts. Catalogue of the Loan Exhibition in Aid of the Society of Decorative Art: Consisting of Gems of the Modern, Foreign and American Schools of Painting and Rare Examples of Various Art Industries. New York: National Academy of Design, 1877. Exhibition catalogue (1877c NAD), p. 14, no. 164 [possibly, as The Strolling Players, lent by Mr. Jordan L. Mott].
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): 1986-09-03
Examination notes: EJ characteristics: Typical subject for early 1860s. Typical expression. Stylistic characteristics: luminous sienna shadows behind fiddler. Fiddler wears warm blue-grey trousers—outline on leg and shoe—typical colors. Younger girl, arm akimbo: brown underpainting stands in for the middle tones; crisp white muslin—broad folds; blue shirt; mauve skirt with an orange-red horizontal stripe; folds strengthened with brown; face—soft, full lips; large brown eyes. Fiddler: highlights on buttons; brown vest; violin well observed. Tambourine girl: black hat and shawl; ochre skirt, green apron; cherry-red blouse is barely seen; hands—soft, but well felt. Tambourine—red rim—cream colored skin. Wall: scumbling, but with a palette knife (probably). Recently restored; lining: heavy wax (plastic?). New keys. Wood stretchers look old. "EJ3" in pink crayon across top stretcher bar.
Keywords
- Subject matter:
Record last updated August 1, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Street Musicians, 1861 (Hills no. 22.0.1)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=239 (accessed on April 19, 2024).