Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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Photo: Unknown
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21.1 Girls Indoors
Johnson’s daughter, Ethel, was born in May 1870, and it is not surprising that Johnson would use her (but not exclusively) as a model for the many pictures of young girls in interiors—playing with dolls, warming their hands by a stove, reading, sleeping. Such pictures often include the same furniture, such as the prie dieu (church prayer bench or kneeler) seen in Family Cares and The Tea Party. Because they were genre paintings, not portraits, Johnson freely renders the facial features. Thus, it is not surprising that for paintings done circa 1873, the bodily types of the girls look like three-year-olds; whereas those done circa 1878, look more like eight-years-olds. —PH
Hills no. 21.1.23
The Lesson
Alternate title: possibly The First Lesson
1874
Oil on board
22 1/2 x 19 in. (57.2 x 48.3 cm)
Signed and dated lower left: E. Johnson 1874
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Exhibitions
Brooklyn Art Association, Brooklyn, New York, April 24–May 6, 1876, no. 458, [possibly, as The First Lesson].
References
Douglass, Julie M. "Lifetime Exhibition History." In Eastman Johnson: Painting America, by Teresa A. Carbone and Patricia Hills. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Museum of Art, in association with Rizzoli International Publications, 1999. Exhibition catalogue, p. 262 [possibly, as The First Lesson].
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination notes: Hills from Chapellier Galleries photo: Cherry red couch. Multicolored rug. Outlines on features of baby and on girl's hand. Paper lantern upper left. Shadows: a grey umber. Bright whites. Turquoise curtain at left. Wallpaper. Yellow, green, red, blue. Goes from reddish brown to greenish. (In this version the lantern is more prominent.) The right hand of the baby is placed forward toward the top edge of the book.
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Keywords
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Record last updated September 17, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "The Lesson, 1874 (Hills no. 21.1.23)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=275 (accessed on April 23, 2024).