Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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Photo: Doyle New York
The Shy Musician (David H. Taylor) in Johnson's studio (top left quadrant, at bottom right of large portrait of woman)
Photo: Reproduced in William Walton, "Eastman Johnson, Painter," Scribner's Magazine, September 1906
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31.5 U.S. Portraits, Children and Adolescents
Johnson’s portraits of children and adolescents were often part of a larger commission to paint whole families. In some instances, the children had died and their parents wished to have a reminder of their loved ones. —PH
Hills no. 31.5.19
1907 Sale no. 56
David H. Taylor
1907 Sale title: The Shy Musician
Alternate titles: possibly Boy, Full-length; possibly Portrait of a Boy, Full-length; possibly Portrait of Boy with Violin; possibly Portrait, full-length; Master David Taylor with His Violin; Study for David H. Taylor; Young Boy with a Violin; Young Girl with Violin
c.1878
Oil on artist's board
21 3/4 x 13 in. (55.2 x 33 cm)
Signed lower left: E. Johnson
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Description / Remarks
Hills, 2022: Although John I. H. Baur owned and annotated a copy of the catalogue of Johnson's 1907 Estate Sale, he did not include this work in his own 1940 catalogue listing; he must have obtained it after publication.
1907 Estate Sale 
No. 56: "A fair-haired boy, with handsome poetic face, stands in erect posture shyly endeavoring to conceal a violin of which, however, one gets a glimpse. He wears a lace collar and cuffs. His large, deep eyes and unconscious air are most attractive."
"Signed at the lower left, E. Johnson.
Height, 22 1/8 inches; width, 13 inches."
[Annotation: “Out” / (in Baur’s handwriting) “Probably a study for The Youthful Violinist sold Amer. Art Galleries Apr 15–16, 1919—no. 218; dated 1878”]
"Signed at the lower left, E. Johnson.
Height, 22 1/8 inches; width, 13 inches."
[Annotation: “Out” / (in Baur’s handwriting) “Probably a study for The Youthful Violinist sold Amer. Art Galleries Apr 15–16, 1919—no. 218; dated 1878”]
Provenance
Exhibitions
Century Association, New York, January 11, 1879, [possibly, as Portrait of a Boy, Full-length].
Century Association, New York, June 5, 1880, [possibly, as Boy, Full-length].
Century Association, New York, January 8, 1881, [possibly, as Portrait, Full-length].
Century Association, New York, June 3, 1882, [possibly, as Portrait of a Boy, Full-length].
Society of American Artists, New York, March 24–April 28, 1900, no. 326, [possibly, as Portrait of Boy with Violin].
Century Association, New York, Memorial Exhibition of Eastman Johnson, February 9–13, 1907, no. 56, as The Shy Musician.
References
Catalogue of Finished Pictures, Studies, and Drawings by the Late Eastman Johnson, N.A. New York: American Art Association, February 1907. Sale catalogue, n.p., no. 56, as The Shy Musician.
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): 2004-03-26
Examination notes: Blonde hair, curly, brushed back. Modeling on face. Very delicate. Deft highlights on eyes. Light and shade exquisitely done, e.g., shadowing of eye, left side of face. Lips are characteristic. No graphite lines, i.e., no preliminary drawing. Lacy collar with freely painted tassels. Curtain is very freely painted and sketchy. Turquoise coat. Shadow under pocket. Paint application on forehead: ziggily strokes. Maybe some outlining along legs. Left book perfunctorily done. Light turquoise hose—not filled in to the leg. Reddish tones on floor. [Further research (see opinion letter): boys were dressed in clothes of velvet with lacy collars similar to girls during the 1870s and 1880s.]
Sitter Biography
Sitter: Taylor, David H.
Biography:
David H. Taylor (1873–1961). New York lawyer with the firm Taylor, Wadsworth, and Burr in New York. Graduate of Columbia University and Columbia Law School. At the time of his death, he was the oldest member of the Union Club in New York. Johnson painted a portrait of him when he was a child.
Related work
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Taylor, David H.
Keywords
- Portrait pose:
- Subject matter:
Record last updated April 7, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "David H. Taylor, c.1878 (Hills no. 31.5.19)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=799 (accessed on April 19, 2024).