Sigismund Ivanowski

Kaisley Blake, Westchester, New York
Dorothea F. Blake, Greenwich, Connecticut
John Foley, Southport, Connecticut
Sale: Christie's, New York, September 28, 1989, lot 117
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

The medium is oil on canvas. The canvas has an old wax liner. There are some areas of fine, pressed craquelure scattered throughout. There is some frame rubbing at the extreme edges. Under UV: there is a varnish which fluoresces light green. There are a few small scattered spots of inpainting mostly in the upper half of the work, as well as a few larger clusters of small dashes and dots: in the pavement to the right of the central male figure; in the front hem, and shirt, of the central female figure; in the ground in front of the female figure. The colors are vibrant, and the work presents very well.
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.

Sigismund Ivanowski was a Ukrainian-born painter and illustrator who emigrated to America in 1902. A prize-winning student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts, he also studied in London under James Abbott McNeil Whistler before coming to the U.S., where he became a member of the Society of Illustrators. President Theodore Roosevelt had his portrait painted by Ivanowksi, and from 1906 to 1914 he painted a series of actresses in character for "Century" magazine. 

The subject matter of the present work celebrates some of the important cultural themes of the Gilded Age: the growth of a consumerist culture and the advent of department stores (Macy's moved into its current, Beaux-Arts style building on the corner of 34th street in Manhattan in 1902), as well as ready-to-wear fashions such as the woman’s shirtwaist dress, and indeed the general joie de vivre that went with rapid industrialization and the associated enhanced quality of life.