Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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31.3 U.S. Portraits, Women
Johnson’s paintings of women are often his best portraits, exhibiting a range of techniques and emphasizing their intelligent faces even when enwrapped in sumptuous fabrics, such as we see in Edwina Booth. —PH
Hills no. 31.3.15
Baur no. 171
Mabel Cogswell
1878
Oil on canvas
22 1/2 x 18 1/4 in. (57.2 x 46.4 cm) (sight)
Signed and dated lower left: E. Johnson 1878
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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. 67, no. 171, as Mabel Cogswell.
Hills Examination/Opinion
Examination date(s): May 16, 2019,2019-11-02
Examination notes: Both Bob [Cozzolino, curator at MIA] and I felt that the face had been overcleaned; a “nasty varnish” on the background that had discolored. Note side of nose: striations—actually the weave of the canvas—perhaps evidence of the overcleaning. No highlights on eyes; flecks of gold ochre throughout her clothing (like it was part of the illusion of the fabric weave).
Sitter Biography
Sitter: Cogswell, Mabel
Biography:
Mabel Cogswell (1857–1919). Daughter of William Barnes Cogswell (collector of Johnson works) and Mary Naomi Johnson Cogswell; granddaughter of Johnson’s older brother Reuben Chandler Johnson, hence, Johnson’s great niece.
Keywords
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- Portrait sitter families:
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Record last updated July 23, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Mabel Cogswell, 1878 (Hills no. 31.3.15)." In Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=721 (accessed on October 6, 2024).