Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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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. 26.7.8
Baur no. 121
Study for Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet and a Light unto My Path
Alternate titles: Man Reading; Man Seated at a Desk; Portrait of a Man Reading; Study for "Reading the Bible"
c.1875–81
Oil on paper on board
18 x 11 3/4 in. (45.7 x 29.8 cm)
Initialed lower right: E. J.
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Provenance
Private collection, by 2007
References
Baur, John I. H. An American Genre Painter: Eastman Johnson, 1824–1906. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, 1940. Exhibition catalogue (1939 Brooklyn Museum), p. 65, no. 121, as Man Reading.
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Record last updated November 22, 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 for Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet and a Light unto My Path, c.1875–81 (Hills no. 26.7.8)." In Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=435 (accessed on December 2, 2024).