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Photo: Courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
⊠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
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Hills no. 27.0.20
Milton (Sketch for "Milton and His Daughters")
Alternate titles: Head of Milton; Milton; Portrait of John Milton; The Poet Milton
c.1875–76
Oil on board
12 x 9 7/8 in. (30.5 x 25.1 cm)
Initialed lower right: E.J.
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Labels
Sticker on verso, upper left: "Milton" by/Eastman Johnson; blue, upper right: M053602/24 [in ink] Ex Benny Goodman/Collection; 1180/x36; lower right, 2" from edge: E.J.
Provenance
Private collection, New York (by purchase)
Exhibitions
Century Association, New York, Memorial Exhibition of Eastman Johnson, February 9–13, 1907, as
Head of Milton.
References
Douglass, Julie M. "Lifetime Exhibition History." In
Eastman Johnson: Painting America,
by Teresa A. Carbone and Patricia Hills.
Brooklyn, NY:
Brooklyn Museum of Art, in association with Rizzoli International Publications,
1999.
Exhibition catalogue, p. 266, as
Head of Milton.
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): 2008-10-31
Examination notes: From notes in Hills binder: Eyes closed. Brick red chair. Right side in shadow (cf May's photo) but darker shadow on chair behind. Left eye—get the sense of the socket—and eyeball protruding. Very brushy—left cheek. Thinning hair.
Sitter Biography
Sitter: Milton, John
Biography: John Milton (1608–1674). English poet. Author of Paradise Lost.
Related work
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Keywords
- Portrait pose:
- Subject matter:
Record last updated August 1, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Milton (Sketch for "Milton and His Daughters"), c.1875–76 (Hills no. 27.0.20)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=465 (accessed on April 18, 2024).