Provenance

Harry Waldron Havemeyer

American, born 1929

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Shown from about the knees up, a pale, smooth-skinned woman in a fur-lined yellow jacket looks out at us as she sits writing at a table in this vertical painting. The woman’s body faces the table to our left. She turns her head to gaze at us from the corners of her dark gray eyes under faint brows. She has a wide nose, and her pale lips are closed. Her light brown hair is pulled back and held in place with white bows, and gleaming teardrop-shaped pearl earrings dangle from her ears. Her lemon-yellow jacket is trimmed with ermine fur, which is white with black speckles, at the cuffs and down the front opening. A full, elephant-gray skirt falls to the floor beneath the jacket. Both hands rest on the table, and she holds a quill in her right hand, farther from us, on a piece of paper. She leans forward in her wooden chair. The back panel of the chair is covered in black fabric and lined with brass studs. Two gilded finials, carved into lions’ heads, face the woman’s back with mouths open. The table is covered with a celestial-blue cloth crumpled near the left edge of the canvas. On the table are a strand of pearls, a pale yellow ribbon, and a black box with three brown panels studded with pearls around silver keyholes. Two pewter gray vessels are visible just beyond it, in front of a second chair, which faces us. On the putty-gray wall behind the woman, a framed painting hangs in the upper left quadrant of the composition. The painting-within-the painting is done in muted tones of brown and shows a cello and other unidentifiable objects.
Johannes Vermeer, A Lady Writing, c. 1665, oil on canvas, Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr., in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer, 1962.10.1

A Lady Writing

Johannes Vermeer · c. 1665 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1962.10.1

The image shows a dirt road leading through a forest. The road is lined with brown leaves and earth tones, with tall trees on both sides. In the background is a town with several buildings and a church steeple. Two horses, a man, and a toppled cart are on the left side of the road. The sky is light blue. The painting is detailed, capturing the texture of the trees and foliage with a natural color palette of greens and browns.
William James Bennett, Summer--A Road Accident. A glimpse thro' an opening of the Primitive Forest. Thornville, Ohio, 1841, hand-colored aquatint on wove paper, Gift of Harry W. Havemeyer in memory of his father, Horace Havemeyer, 2015.25.2.2

Summer--A Road Accident. A glimpse thro' an opening of the Primitive Forest. Thornville, Ohio

William James Bennett · 1841 · hand-colored aquatint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.25.2.2

Friedrich von Martens, Galerie Goupil & Cie, Pêche du Cachalot, Cachalot Fishery, c. 1834-1835, etching, aquatint, and engraving on wove paper, Gift of Harry W. Havemeyer in memory of his father, Horace Havemeyer, 2019.51.2

Pêche du Cachalot, Cachalot Fishery

Friedrich von Martens, Galerie Goupil & Cie · c. 1834-1835 · etching, aquatint, and engraving on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2019.51.2

The image depicts a ground-level view of a group of people within a natural setting. The horizon is visible in the top third of the image with bare trees reaching above it. In the center, there is a plume of smoke rising from a smoldering tree trunk. The brushstrokes are smooth and detailed, creating a soft portrayal of the scene. The color palette includes earthy tones such as browns, greens, and grays. Closest to the viewer, a large tree trunk with exposed roots is prominent. In the distance, a simple log cabin and an ox are seen amidst the wooded backdrop.
William James Bennett, Spring--Burning Fallen Trees in a Girdled Clearing. Western Scene, 1841, hand-colored aquatint on wove paper, Gift of Harry W. Havemeyer in memory of his father, Horace Havemeyer, 2015.25.2.1

Spring--Burning Fallen Trees in a Girdled Clearing. Western Scene

William James Bennett · 1841 · hand-colored aquatint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.25.2.1

Friedrich von Martens, Galerie Goupil & Cie, Pêche de la Baleine, Whale-Fishery, c. 1834-1835, etching, aquatint, and engraving on wove paper, Gift of Harry W. Havemeyer in memory of his father, Horace Havemeyer, 2019.51.1

Pêche de la Baleine, Whale-Fishery

Friedrich von Martens, Galerie Goupil & Cie · c. 1834-1835 · etching, aquatint, and engraving on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2019.51.1

This is a title page of an illustrated book or series entitled "Harvey's Scenes of the Primitive Forest of America, at the four periods of the year, Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter, Engraved from his Original Paintings, Accompanied with Descriptive Letter-Press." The page states that the book was published according to an act of Congress in the year 1841 by G. Harvey and printed by Charles Vinten in New York. The page shows signs of aging, with visible spots and slight discoloration typical of aged paper.
William James Bennett, Harvey's Scenes of the Primitive Forest, 1841, bound volume with five hand-colored aquatints and title page, Gift of Harry W. Havemeyer in memory of his father, Horace Havemeyer, 2015.25.2.1-4

Harvey's Scenes of the Primitive Forest

William James Bennett · 1841 · bound volume with five hand-colored aquatints and title page ·  Accession ID  2015.25.2.1-4

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Southern Section of the United States including Florida &C.

Axel Leonhard Klinckowström, Various Artists · 1816 · engraved map, borders hand-colored, mounted on album sheet ·  Accession ID  2015.25.4.3

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Plan of Philadelphia

Axel Leonhard Klinckowström, Various Artists · 1816-1824 · lithograph mounted on album sheet ·  Accession ID  2015.25.4.4

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Bro öfver Skuylkill strommen nara Philadelphia (Bridge over the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia)

Axel Leonhard Klinckowström, Various Artists · 1816-1824 · etching and aquatint, mounted on album sheet ·  Accession ID  2015.25.4.7

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Winter--Impeded Travellers in a Pine Forest. Upper Canada

William James Bennett · 1841 · hand-colored aquatint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.25.2.4

Bibliography

1986

  • Weitzenhoffer, Frances. The Havemeyers: Impressionism Comes to America. New York, 1986.