Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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Photo: Patricia Hills
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43.4 U.S. Early Portrait Drawings, Women, Unidentified
The women in these portraits have not yet been identified by name. However, the drawings are known or believed to have been done in the United States, before Johnson went to Europe to learn to paint in late 1849, based on evidence including their inscriptions and the appearance of the sitters and style of the drawings when images are available. Further research may enable the sitters to be identified. —AM
Hills no. 43.4.7
Baur no. 373
Head of a Woman
Alternate titles: Pastel Woman's Head; Portrait of a Girl; Portrait of a Woman
1847
Locale: Boston, Massachusetts
Pastel on paper mounted on heavy mat board
21 3/4 x 17 1/4 in. (55.2 x 43.8 cm) (oval)
Signed and dated lower right: E. Johnson/1847
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Description/Remarks
Kende Galleries sale catalogue, January 7, 1943: "Bust-length portrait enclosed in an oval. The girl has long dark hair parted in the center, large brown eyes and a small mouth. Dark background."
Provenance
Private collection, September 22, 1994 (by purchase)
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. 77, no. 373, as Head of a Woman.
Paintings: American, English and European Schools from the Collection of the Late Leon Hirsch, Property of Mrs. Frederic J. Merrick, and from Other Sources. New York: Kende Galleries, January 7, 1943. Sale catalogue, p. 5, no. 3, as Portrait of a Girl, "Signed at lower right, E. JOHNSON 1847. Canvas: 21 x 17 inches" ["Canvas" is incorrect.]
American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture. New York: Christie's, September 22, 1994. Sale catalogue, illus. [Image is reversed.]
Hills Examination/Opinion
Examination date(s): April 8, 1981; June 28, 1994
Examination notes: 1981: Very lightly colored. Short strokes along nose. Grey-green eyes. Soft shadow under nose; soft shadow under chin.
1994: Eyes: yellow-brown - highlights on iris. Sheet laid down on board. Repair 2" on lower right. Cast shadows - under hair at right. To left of nose, under chin. Eyebrows - rounded strokes over eye socket area. Note part in middle - greyed pastel. Greenish tones in background and on dress. Throat part of chest - natural cream paper left untouched. Note red tones in shadowed areas of hair at left - also at right. Note dress area - ridged texture - long stroke. Block letters for signature.
1994: Eyes: yellow-brown - highlights on iris. Sheet laid down on board. Repair 2" on lower right. Cast shadows - under hair at right. To left of nose, under chin. Eyebrows - rounded strokes over eye socket area. Note part in middle - greyed pastel. Greenish tones in background and on dress. Throat part of chest - natural cream paper left untouched. Note red tones in shadowed areas of hair at left - also at right. Note dress area - ridged texture - long stroke. Block letters for signature.
Keywords
- Portrait pose:
- Format:
- Oval »
Record last updated February 23, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Head of a Woman, 1847 (Hills no. 43.4.7)." In Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=960 (accessed on October 12, 2024).