⊠31.7 U.S. Portraits, Groups
Some of Johnson’s most memorable paintings were his small scale compositions of family groups. Such works as these, traditionally called “conversation pieces,” trace their pedigree to England and seventeenth-century Holland. They were commissioned group portraits of wealthy patrons as they wanted to be seen, usually surrounded by sumptuous furnishing and a coterie of family and friends. —PH
View all works in this theme »
Hills no. 31.7.8
William Watson Caswell and John Caswell
Alternate title: Portrait of William Watson Caswell and John Caswell of Prides Crossing, MA
1878
Oil on canvas
63 1/2 x 46 1/2 in. (161.3 x 118.1 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: E. Johnson/1878
loading
Provenance
Unidentified buyer, January 17, 2010 (by purchase)
References
"Estate Material Draws SRO Crowd To Carl W. Stinson Auction." Antiques and the Arts Weekly (Newtown, Conn.),
February 16, 2010.
References painting Portrait of William Watson Caswell and John Caswell of Prides Crossing, MA, offered for sale by Carl W. Stinson, Inc. Auctioneers & Appraisers, Reading, Massachusetts, on January 17, 2010. Maine Antiques Digest (2010).
Sitter Biography
Sitter: Caswell, William Watson (brother of John Caswell)
Biography: William Watson Caswell (1874–1939). Brother of John Caswell, with whom he was portrayed by Johnson. “The Caswell home was located at 140 Hart Street in Prides Crossing, adjacent to the Eleonora Sears estate” [Carl W. Stinson, Inc. Auctioneers & Appraisers].
Sitter: Caswell, John (brother of William Watson Caswell)
Biography: John Caswell (life dates unknown). Brother of William Watson Caswell, with whom he was portrayed by Johnson.
loading
Keywords
- Portrait pose:
- Portrait sitter families:
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. "William Watson Caswell and John Caswell, 1878 (Hills no. 31.7.8)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=910 (accessed on April 26, 2024).
