Art for the Nation    
The Old ViolinWilliam Harnett, Trompe l'Oeil MasterPainting Money  
Trompe l'Oeil William Harnett  
   
The Old Violin by William Harnett
William Michael Harnett, The Old Violin, 1886, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mellon Scaife in honor of Paul Mellon 1993.15.1
For the Track by John F. Peto
John Frederick Peto, For the Track, 1895, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift (Partial and Promised) of Jo Ann and Julian Ganz Jr. 1997.131.1

Other artists would emulate Harnett's taut arrangement of objects on a rough, hinged door, though few achieved his sense of balance or economy. John F. Peto's For the Track makes an intriguing comparison.

Peto suspended a red jockey's cap, a riding crop, an old horseshoe, betting stubs, a ragged picture of a dark horse, and a racetrack flyer (glowing like Harnett's sheet music) on a worn green door. Like Harnett, he included an illegible newspaper clipping and stuck a blue envelope in the frame.



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