Catalogue Entry
Johnson moved to The Hague in 1851. On November 20, 1851, he wrote to Andrew Warner of the American Art-Union, “I am at present . . . at the Hague, where I find I am deriving much advantage from studying the splendid works of Rembrandt & a few other of the old Dutch masters, who I find are only to be seen in Holland. I shall probably continue here a good portion of the winter" [Adapted from Hills, The Genre Painting of Eastman Johnson, pp. 40–41].
He made free copies after Rembrandt, Van Dyke, and the contemporary Belgian painter Louis Gallait. He stayed in the Netherlands until 1855 and developed a profitable career as a portrait painter. —PH
MacGibeny, 2021: In the past, the Rembrandt painting which was copied by Johnson had been considered to be a self-portrait. Its title at Mauritshuis now identifies it as one of Rembrandt's "tronies"—studies of character and costumes that were not meant to be portraits of specific people. See the linked image for the original by Rembrandt at Mauritshuis.
