Childe Hassam 1859-1935

The artist
Macbeth Gallery, New York, 1914
Mr. Ben Brown, 1918 (acquired from the above)
Macbeth Gallery, New York, 1923
Honorable H. Walton Mitchell, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1923 (acquired from the above)
Miss Adelaide Mitchell and Mrs. Lois M. Forncrook, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (his daughters)
By descent in the family (Mrs. Forncrook's daughter), 1975

New York, National Academy of Design, 72nd Annual Exhibition, 1897, no. 396

Very good condition; lined; some isolated craquelure, a pindot of loss in upper right corner, under UV: some spots of varnish fluoresce, otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

During the 1890s, Childe Hassam routinely spent his summers away from his New York City studio, often frequenting the small towns and harbors which dotted the New England coastline from Connecticut to Maine. Gloucester, Massachusetts, with its picturesque setting and bustling commercial harbor had inspired several generations of American artists before Hassam, and boasted an artistic heritage which included Fitz Hugh Lane and Winslow Homer. By the late nineteenth century, the town was firmly established as a popular resort, with numerous artists and tourists flocking to the colonial fishing port during the summer months. Hassam often visited the city with fellow painters, such as Willard Metcalf, but "unlike Appledore, Cos Cob, and Old Lyme, in each of which one aesthetic boardinghouse served as the art colony's principal gathering place, in Gloucester the artists dispersed among widely scattered hotels, boarding houses, and rental cottages" (H. Barbara Weinberg, Childe Hassam, American Impressionist, 2004, p. 166).

Hassam usually stayed in East Gloucester, a residential district that afforded him sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. Though Hassam did paint panoramic vistas of the city's busy famous harbor, in works such as Street in Gloucester he instead depicted a view of a quiet residential location. Ulrich Hiesinger notes, "In the early and mid-1890s ... Hassam was less interested in landscape at Gloucester than in figure pictures that recorded scenes of townsfolk and summer residents" (Childe Hassam: American Impressionist, New York, 1994, p. 93). A few people casually promenade past the white picket fences as a carriage makes its way down the rural road. The elderly gentleman in the foreground, who seems to have paused to acknowledge the artist, gives the tranquil scene a sense of immediacy.