Drummer Boy, by Josephn Goodhue Chandler, (American, 1813-1884)
Depicted with a river and hills in the distance, sky at sunset. Oil on canvas, 44-1/2 x 31-1/4.
The stretcher and remnants of an old printed label reading in part "... rear entra(nce) NEW YORK / ... YORK /ANTIQUES EXPOSITION ... ." The label is said to have referred to Albany at one time, indicating an exhibition in that city, possibly celebrating the centennial of 1876. Chandler was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where his family owned a small farm. After a brief apprenticeship with a cabinetmaker, he studied painting in Albany, New York, between the years 1827-1832. Most of his known paintings date from 1837-1852, a period when he traveled parts of the Connecticut River Valley, particularly northwestern Massachusetts, working as an itinerant painter.
Provenance: Alice Braunfeld, Los Angeles, early 1980s.
Literature: For additional information on the artist, see John W. Keefe, "Joseph Goodhue Chandler, Itinerant Painter of the Connecticut River Valley," The Magazine Antiques, November 1972, pp. 849-854. Note the resemblance of Chandler's maternal grandparents, figs. 2 & 3, to the drummer boy.
Source: http://northeastauctions.com/product/joseph-goodhue-chandler-american-1813-1884-drummer-boy/
From a reader: I have in my possession a painting signed by Joseph Goodhue Chandler, and have studied many others by Chandler, I am skeptical that the drummer boy was painted by Chandler. I am aware that Northeast auctions listed it as a Chandler, yet they were just going by what the owners of the painting told them.
ReplyDeleteSo what I am trying to learn about are elements of the painting, i.e, the drum, the flag, his clothes, etc to try to shed light on this painting. Consensus so far amongst several of my colleagues is that the painting was done just after the Civil War, and may be a patriotic illustration leading up to the Centennial in 1876. Goodhue generally was done painting children's portraits a number of years earlier.
If you have any insights you can provide about the drum itself that would be most appreciated!
Thank you
Don
Don Olson
Fine American Antiques
The Intersection of Early and Color
Email: earlypieces@aol.com
Antiques Website: www.donolsonantiques.com
Member: ADA (Antique Dealers' Association of America)
Member: NHADA (New Hampshire Antique Dealers' Association)
Member: VADA (Vermont Antique Dealers' Association)
Member: Historic Deerfield
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/donolson
47 Lafayette Parkway, Rochester, NY, 14625
585-385-9002