loading loading
Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
Patricia Hills, PhD, Founder and Director | Abigael MacGibeny, MA, Project Manager

Catalogue Entry

enlarge
Photo: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
[ 27.0 Literary/Historical ]info
⊠
27.0 Literary/Historical

In addition to his scenes of everyday life and portraits of people, Johnson created images of historical events and figures from works of literature, drama, and music. For example, “Carry Me, and I’ll Drum You Through” was inspired by an incident from the Battle of Antietam, 1862, and Membership Vote at the Union League Club, May 11, 1876, recorded a contentious meeting in which he participated much later. His Marguerite, Cosette, and Minnehaha are personifications of fictional heroines from novels and poetry. His Boy Lincoln represents both the future United States president and the archetypical American youth who, with determination and hard work, could succeed. Johnson rendered several of these imaginative images as both paintings and drawings. These literary and historical works evince both his personal interest in those subjects and his awareness of their popularity with the broad public. —AM

View all works in this theme »

Hills no. 27.0.10r
Boyhood of Lincoln
Alternate titles: possibly Boyhood of Abraham Lincoln; possibly The Boyhood of Lincoln; Sketch for Boy Lincoln; The Boy Lincoln
1867
Oil on board
27 x 21 5/8 in. (68.6 x 54.9 cm)
Initialed and dated lower left: E.J./1867 [inscription sits on top of surface and is somewhat abraded]
Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Acquired through the generosity of an anonymous donor (2009.109)
Verso: Sugaring Off—Small Scene [verso of Boyhood of Lincoln], c.1861–65 (Hills no. 13.5.7v)
Description / Remarks

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts object record, January 12, 2021: "Young boy sits on a chair reading a book, he leans to the right towards a dimly lit fireplace, no details to the room besides a wooden floor and ceiling, left section of the painting is in shadow."

Provenance
Possibly Louis Prang, New York, until 1870
[Possibly Leeds Art Gallery, New York, March 15, 1870, Mr. Louis Prang's Collection of Paintings, Comprising Most of the Originals after which his Celebrated Chromos were Executed, Together with Other Works of Art, American and Foreign, from Several Private Galleries, lot 139 (as The Boyhood of Lincoln)]
Possibly unidentified buyer, March 15, 1870 (by purchase)
[Plaza Art Auction Galleries, New York, January 6, 1921]
J. J. Wilson, January 6, 1921 (by purchase)
Wilson Family, until 1986 (by descent)
Berry-Hill Galleries, New York, by 1990 until at least 1994
Masco Corporation Collection, until October 29, 2009
[Shannon's Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut, October 29, 2009, Property of a Corporate Collection, lot 22 (as The Boy Lincoln)]
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 29, 2009 (by purchase)
Exhibitions
1868 NAD
National Academy of Design, New York, April 15–June 20, 1868. (NAD 1868), no. 366, [possibly, as The Boy Lincoln].
2000b NAD
National Academy of Design, New York, Rave Reviews: 100 Years of Great American Art, September 20–December 30, 2000.
2014 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo, September 26, 2014–January 4, 2015.
2020 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Unveiling American Genius, December 18, 2020–December 31, 2022.
References
NAD 1868
New York: National Academy of Design, 1868. Exhibition catalogue (1868 NAD), no. 366 [possibly, as The Boy Lincoln].
The Albion 1868
"Fine Arts: Academy of Design." The Albion (New York) 46, no. 20 (May 16, 1868), p. 273 [possibly, as The Boy Lincoln].
New York Times 1870
"Sales of Messrs. Prang and Frost's Collection of Paintings." New York Times, March 20, 1870, p. 8 [possibly, as Boyhood of Lincoln].
New-York Daily Tribune 1870
"Mr. Prang's Collection of Paintings." New-York Daily Tribune, March 19, 1870, p. 4 [possibly, as Boyhood of Lincoln]: "Further off, occupying a conspicuous place, hung the well-known 'Boyhood of Lincoln,' Mr. Johnson's original picture, but not the one from which the chromo was taken."her off, occupying a conspicuous place, hung the well-known 'Boyhood of Lincoln,' Mr. Johnson's original picture, but not the one from which the chromo was taken."
Leeds Art Galleries 1870a
Catalogue of Mr. Louis Prang's Collection of Paintings: Comprising Most of the Originals after which His Celebrated Chromos Were Executed, Together with Other Works of Art, American and Foreign, from several Private Galleries. New York: Leeds Art Galleries, March 15–16, 1870. Sale catalogue, p. 25, no. 139 [possibly, as The Boyhood of Lincoln]: "This picture formed the main attraction of the 43rd Academy Exhibition, (1868)."
Howard 1922
Howard, Frances R., ed. American Art Annual. Vol. 18, 1921. Washington, DC: American Federation of Arts, 1922, p. 264, as The Boy Lincoln.
Hills 1977
Hills, Patricia. The Genre Paintings of Eastman Johnson: The Sources and Development of His Style and Themes. New York: Garland Publishing, 1977, pp. 94–95.
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): 1986-09-10
Examination notes: More monochromatic—umber lightened with white and sometimes full strength. Burnt sienna—(translucent) around facing of fireplace behind Lincoln. Cracking throughout areas where thin layer of sienna is dominant. Also some crackling on face. Highlights— e.g., on andirons are broad. No fire in fireplace. Figure: outline along boot, also hands, also under chin. Face: broad whites over pink flesh tones—somewhat clumsy under nose. Left hand: barely visible—but O.K. (3 7/8" most front leg of stool) 1 3/8" width of right foot.

Reverse: 2 seated figures; very sketchy. Female: cherry red top, white skirt, gesturing. Male: turned toward female—in dark, greenish tones on floor. "501" in pencil. Added at top, 6" from left. Some touch-up c. 2" diameter—left of book; also along side at left and a bough of corn; also a table-like structure on left.
Sitter Biography
Sitter: Lincoln, Abraham
Biography:

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). Sixteenth president of the United States, 1861–1865.

Related work
loading
Lincoln, Abraham
loading
Keywords
Record last updated August 16, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Boyhood of Lincoln, 1867 (Hills no. 27.0.10r)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=458 (accessed on May 4, 2024).