Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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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. 22.0.3
Children Reading
Alternate titles: Children Playing School; Playing School
c.1861–62
Oil on canvas
12 x 9 in. (30.5 x 22.9 cm)
Signed lower left: E. Johnson
loading
Labels
Plate on frame: Playing School/Eastman Johnson
Provenance
Private collection, October 13, 2013 (by purchase)
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): Early 1970s; 2018-03-26 (Sotheby's)
Keywords
- Subject matter:
Record last updated July 28, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Children Reading, c.1861–62 (Hills no. 22.0.3)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. https://www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=307 (accessed on October 3, 2023).