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Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
Catalogue Entry
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Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Inc. © 2021
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26.7 Old Men Reading
In the mid-1870s, Johnson took up the subject of old men reading, sometimes seen outdoors but usually indoors. The large size of the books suggests that the men are reading the Bible. With their suggestion of time passing and the solace of faith, such works are a solemn contrast to the joie de vivre of works such as the Old Stage Coach, which depicts young children using the relics of the past as their playground. —PH
Hills no. 26.7.6r
Study of a Man
c.1875–81
Locale: Likely Nantucket, Massachusetts
Oil on board
13 5/8 x 17 in. (34.6 x 43.2 cm)
Initialed lower right: E. J.
Description / Remarks
MacGibeny, 2021: The man resembles the farmer in Sunday Morning, a collaboration between Johnson and Worthington Whittredge.
Markings
Verso, lower right: —STUDY OF A MAN— / —EASTMAN JOHNSON—
Labels
Glued to cardboard backing: Edward Alden Jewell review, January 21, 1940, of Eastman Johnson show, with reproductions of Family Group (The Hatch Family), The Little Convalescent, and a study for A Glass with the Squire
Provenance
Estate of Dr. John F. Wederitsch
[Sotheby's, September 21, 1994, Sale 6595, Property from the Estate of Dr. John F. Wederitsch, lot 60 (as Study of a Man)]
Private collection, New Jersey, September 21, 1994 (by purchase)
Present whereabouts unknown
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): 1994-02-15
Examination notes: Browns: heavy paint but cracks in brushstrokes—slippery. Brush about 1/2". Eye socket is a uniform brown blur—i.e., masses done well. Also at temple. Sharp edge of nose. Wet paint over wet paint. Some craquelure. Shadow, thin flicks of the sideburns. Book is broadly painted—a swath of creamy white. Arm looks good.
Verso drawing in pencil. Very sketchy: Man looking left seated in a chair; another chair L.L. Back of Windsor chair—another piece of furniture. Captain Moore. [Mooers.]
Verso drawing in pencil. Very sketchy: Man looking left seated in a chair; another chair L.L. Back of Windsor chair—another piece of furniture. Captain Moore. [Mooers.]
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Keywords
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Record last updated March 27, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Study of a Man, c.1875–81 (Hills no. 26.7.6r)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=432 (accessed on May 2, 2024).