Provenance

the artist; Mrs. Vladimir Feltsman, New York; purchased by NGA with designated funds, 1993.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

hand-printed in Russian on title page: (Dream of Abu-Said / Comedy); type-written in Russian on introductory page: (At the end of the last, and the beginning of this century, in the big cities and the small towns, it was the style to, during [home] parties, stage "living pictures". Participants of the show, often dressed in specially designed costumes, would take necessary poses, and remain still for a short period of time, making so-called "silent scenes". Then the poses would change, the curtain would rise, and a new scene would appear. The viewers had to guess the meaning of the show. These offered "comedies" belong to that forgotten genre.)